Man City's Pep Guardiola claps back at Fabio Capello's 'arrogance' jibe

The Citizens are enduring a shaky season by their lofty standards, yet Guardiola remains a towering figure in the game, hailed by many as one of the greatest managers ever to grace the touchline.

Guardiola's trophy cabinet speaks for itself. The Catalan has lifted silverware aplenty with Manchester City, Bayern Munich, and his boyhood club Barcelona. Before that, he shone as a top-tier player. His blueprint, built on possession, pressing, and positional play, has reshaped modern football, inspiring countless coaches to borrow from his playbook.

But Capello, a heavyweight in his own right, isn't buying the hype. In a recent interview with El Mundo, the former AC Milan and England boss didn't hold back. "I value Guardiola very much as a coach, he has done wonderful things," Capello said.

"I've lived through three revolutions in football: Cruyff's Ajax, Sacchi's Milan, and Guardiola's Barca. I have no problem saying that."Then came the sting. "Do you know what I don't like about Guardiola? His arrogance," Capello added. "The Champions League he won with City was the only one where he didn't try anything strange in the decisive games. 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'. That arrogance has cost him several Champions Leagues."

Capello didn't stop there. He claimed Guardiola's influence has "ruined Italian football." Expanding on the "tremendous damage," he said, "Everyone has spent ten years trying to copy him. That has lost Italian football its nature. I said: 'Stop that, you don't have Guardiola's players!' The absurd idea that playing well was just touch, touch, touch⦠Now, in Italian football, the goalkeeper plays the ball! A disaster and a bore that has scared many people away from football."

Guardiola didn't let the criticism slide. In a press conference, the Manchester City boss pointed at a journalist and warned, "I listen to everything that people say about me, so be careful."

Addressing Capello directly, he said, "It's not the first time Mr Fabio Capello has said that. I'm not good enough to ruin Italian football, it is very important. A big hug for Fabio."

This isn't Capello's first swipe at Guardiola. Back in December, the Italian had said, "He's far too arrogant and presumptuous. At times he has even lost trophies because he wanted to prove that he was the one winning and not the players, so he dropped key figures from the side in the big games."

Manchester City fans might point to their 2023 Champions League triumph as proof of Guardiola's genius, but Capello's words have sparked debate.

On X, the club posted a clip from Guardiola's press conference on March 14, captioned: "Pep responds: 'A big hug for Fabio.'" Fans are split, some back their boss, others wonder if Capello's onto something as the Citizens stutter in 2025.

For now, Guardiola's legacy remains a hot topic. Love him or loathe him, his mark on football isn't fading anytime soon.

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