Pep Guardiola has responded sarcastically to Fabio Capello’s claim that he is arrogant, has “ruined Italian football” and has made the sport boring. The former England coach offered his view of Guardiola to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo this week. On Friday Manchester City’s manager was asked whether he listened to someone of the Italian’s stature in the game.
“I listen to everything that people say about me. Everything. So be careful. I am controlling you,” he said as a joke. “It’s not the first time that Mr Fabio Capello said that. I’m not good enough to win Italian football. Italian football is much, much more important than the way you do it. A big hug from Fabio. A big hug.”
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Capello said: “You know what I don’t like about Guardiola? His arrogance. The Champions League he won with City [against Inter in 2023] is the only one where he didn’t try anything funny in the decisive matches. He has done a lot of harm to football. Because everyone spent 10 years trying to copy him. It ruined Italian football. A disaster and also a boredom that made many people flee from football.”
Capello coached City’s manager during a short and unsuccessful spell at Roma after Guardiola joined them in the summer of 2002. The Italian selected him four times in Serie A and Guardiola later said: “I know the bench of the Stadio Olimpico better than the pitch.”
City’s elimination last month by Real Madrid in the Champions League playoff round was the first time since Guardiola’s tenure began in 2016 that they did not reach the last 16. The 54-year-old denied it was painful to have to watch this week’s games. “It doesn’t hurt,” Guardiola said. “I don’t have any disappointment. We don’t deserve to be there. This season we deserve to be on the sofa, with a glass of wine.
“Hopefully next season we can do better and be on the pitch, not on the sofa.”
