Pep Guardiola Responds to Fabio Capello’s Criticism with a Cheeky Dig at Italian Football
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has chosen not to engage in a war of words with Fabio Capello after the Italian’s recent criticism. The Spaniard acknowledged that he was aware of Capello’s comments but noted that it was not the first time the former manager had made such remarks about him.
Speaking to the media ahead of Manchester City’s upcoming clash with Brighton & Hove Albion, Guardiola took a playful jab at Italian football while addressing Capello’s statements. The former Barcelona midfielder suggested that he was not influential enough during his time in Italy to be responsible for any supposed decline in the country’s footballing standards.
Guardiola stated:
> “I listen to everything that people say about me, so be careful. This isn’t the first time Mr. Fabio Capello has said something like this. But I’m not good enough to ruin Italian football. Italian football is far bigger than the way we play. A big hug for Fabio, a big hug.”
Guardiola had a brief stint as a player in Italy, featuring for AS Roma for one season before returning to Brescia, where he had initially moved after leaving Barcelona in 2001. His playing career also included spells at Al Ahli in Qatar and Dorados in Mexico before he eventually retired.
Fabio Capello’s Criticism of Pep Guardiola
Fabio Capello recently spoke to El Mundo and expressed a strong opinion about Guardiola’s impact on football. The former AC Milan and Real Madrid manager argued that Guardiola had done more harm than good to the sport. Capello specifically pointed to Guardiola’s tactical approach, claiming that the Manchester City manager only won the UEFA Champions League last season because he refrained from making unnecessary tactical adjustments in crucial matches.
Capello stated via GOAL:
> “You know what I don’t like about Guardiola? His arrogance. The Champions League he won with City is the only one where he didn’t try anything funny in the decisive matches. But all the other years, in Manchester and Munich, on key days, he always wanted to be the protagonist. He would change things and invent them so he could say: ‘It’s not the players who win, it’s me’. And that arrogance cost him several Champions Leagues. I respect him, but for me, it’s clear.”
The former Italian coach further claimed that Guardiola’s influence had negatively impacted Italian football, as teams attempted to replicate his style without having the necessary players to execute it effectively. He suggested that this shift led to a decline in the entertainment value of the sport.
Capello added:
> “Besides, even if it is no longer his fault, he has done a lot of harm to football. Because everyone spent ten years trying to copy him. It ruined Italian football, which lost its nature. I said: ‘Stop, you don’t have Guardiola’s players’! There was also the absurd idea that that was all there was to do to play well. A disaster and also a boredom that made many people flee from football. They only have to watch the highlights—why are you going to watch 90 minutes of passes and horizontal passes without fighting?”
Capello emphasized that he disliked Guardiola’s tactics, particularly the emphasis on possession-based football, which he believed resulted in a lack of intensity and physicality. He argued that football should involve players running and competing at a higher pace, rather than maintaining possession with slow, methodical passing.
Guardiola’s response, however, remained lighthearted, suggesting that he harbored no ill will toward Capello despite the sharp criticism.