'There's no genius there' – Graeme Souness makes claim about Man City boss Pep Guardiola

There's no genius about Pep Guardiola, according to Graeme Souness who claims his success is due to "having the best players".

The former Liverpool player made the claim during an appearance on William Hill's new podcast Three Up Front podcast featuring Simon Jordan and Troy Deeney.

Despite the Manchester City boss having won 37 major trophies with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and his current club, Souness refuses to brand the Spaniard a genius for the mass success he's achieved, rather suggesting it's the top players' he's had at those clubs that are responsible for his hefty trophy cabinet.

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Speaking on the podcast, the former Liverpool skipper said: "Pep Guardiola has managed three clubs and in all of those he has had the best group of players in whatever league he’s been in.

"He took over from Frank Rijkaard at Barcelona where he had Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi and many others. He went to Bayern Munich after they had just won the Quadruple. Then he came to Manchester City where he took over a side that both Manuel Pellegrini and Roberto Mancini had won the Premier League with."

The 71-year-old claimed that prior to Guardiola's Manchester arrival in 2016, the City squad only needed "the slightest bit of tweaking" from the 53-year-old before he went on to begin a reign of dominance in England that's included five Premier League titles, four EFL Cup's, and two FA Cup's.

‌"He took over an exceptional group of players in every case," Souness added. "City are the richest team in England and they only needed the slightest bit of tweaking when he took over. He obviously manages players very well, but there is no genius there. It is just about having the best players."

Souness further suggested that even an average manager could lead a team filled with world-class players to silverware as he added: "If you have an average manager with great players, then you have a chance at being successful.

"I've been in dressing rooms where everything had been set in stone for the squad by the players that came before us, so the manager barely had to speak to us."