Pep Guardiola turned to Vincent Kompany for help in defeating Club Brugge in the Champions League.
Manchester City ran out 5-1 winners at a ground where Paris Saint-Germain had dropped two points last month, with an emphatic performance that puts them on course for qualification from the group after a defeat in France last time out.
Guardiola was particularly pleased with the performance of his team but admitted that former City defender Kompany, now head coach at Anderlecht in the Belgian top flight, had given him the lowdown on what to expect from their opponents on Tuesday night.
"We were so good! I'm not going to underestimate Brugge," said Guardiola after the game.
"I'm sorry, I have a secret, I spoke with Vinny Kompany, he gave me some good tricks.
"I got info from him because he knows Brugge better than me and how they are. He said be careful with this, they have good association in the final third, they have a fast central defender - but normally that happens. I think we made a really good performance in many aspects, that's why we could not allow them to be how they are but I know perfectly how they are.
"We are two weeks from the second leg but I'm pretty sure they will adjust something so we have to adjust things we didn't like today and it is another game.
"Normally now it is working ahead for the players to think about it. It will not be the same. Always it is not the same. They had pride, they will see the game, they will see what happened and what they could do better. For us, it was a real final and we were able to take the three points. With three games left and nine points, we are close to qualifying for the next round."
