There was a playful smile on Pep Guardiola's face and every word dripped with sarcasm - though it's likely not everyone saw the funny side.
'In the Champions League, always I overthink. I overthink a lot, absolutely,' Guardiola said.
'That's why I've had good results. I love to overthink and create stupid tactics. Tonight I take inspiration and there will be incredible tactics tomorrow. We'll play with 12.'
Champions League success has so far eluded Pep Guardiola during five seasons as Manchester City manager - and on each occasion, he has been partly to blame for their exit
Guardiola addressed the criticism of his unnecessary Champions League tinkering in the right way but the cold hard fact is that the world's best manager hasn't won Europe's top competition in 11 years now.