Former England manager Fabio Capello has been a long-time critic of Pep Guardiola and he has now accused the Manchester City boss of doing "tremendous damage to football"
12:23, 10 Mar 2025Updated 12:23, 10 Mar 2025
Pep Guardiola has endured a nightmare season at Manchester City and now Fabio Capello has put the boot in
Pep Guardiola has endured a nightmare season at Manchester City and now Fabio Capello has put the boot in
Former England boss Fabio Capello has unleashed a tirade against Pep Guardiola - claiming the Manchester City manager has inflicted "tremendous damage to football".
Capello, known for his forthright opinions, had previously branded Guardiola as "arrogant" during a scathing outburst last December, after struggling City's 2-0 defeat to Juventus.
Guardiola is enduring a miserable season, with an abysmal run that included only one victory in 11 matches and an early exit from the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid.
Securing a new contract this term hasn't shielded him from critique, with his team slipping 23 points behind Premier League chart-toppers Liverpool after a 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Despite stating he holds no grudge against Guardiola and respects him as a coach, Capello couldn't hold back on reinforcing his view of Guardiola's arrogance.
Former England manager Fabio Capello
Former England manager Fabio Capello is not a fan of Pep Guardiola(Image: Michael Regan - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Capello, who had a hugely successful stint at AC Milan, lamented the influence of Guardiola's hallmark possession-play and building-from-the-back strategy on Italian football coaches, suggesting it has "ruined" the sport.
He laid into Guardiola further by saying: "Do you know what I don't like about Guardiola? His arrogance. The Champions League he won with City was the only one in which he didn't try anything strange in the decisive games.
"But every other year, in Manchester and Munich, on the key days, he always wanted to be the protagonist. He changed things and made up things so he could say: 'The players don't win, I win'."
The football legend didn't hold back his criticism, adding: "And that arrogance has cost him several Champions Leagues. I respect him, but I see that clearly. Also, although it is no longer his fault, he has done tremendous damage to football."
He continued his scathing critique by pointing out the negative impact on Italian football. Capello argued: "Everyone has spent 10 years trying to copy him.
"That has ruined Italian football, which has lost its nature. I said: 'Stop that, you don't have Guardiola's players!' In addition, the absurd idea that playing well was just that. Touch, touch, touch."
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Capello further lamented the current state of play in Italy, adding: "Now, in Italian football, the goalkeeper plays the ball! A disaster and also a bore that has scared many people away from football, they just have to watch the highlights.
"Why are you going to watch 90 minutes of passes and horizontal passes without fighting, without running?"
City are gearing up for their next Premier League clash against Brighton before embarking on a pivotal journey to Bournemouth in the FA Cup, aiming to salvage their season with some silverware.