While many admire Pep Guardiola for his tactical brilliance, the Manchester City boss has also faced criticism over the years. The latest comes from one of his former managers, who believes Guardiola’s influence has negatively impacted football.
Speaking to Spanish outlet El Mundo, former England manager Fabio Capello claimed that Guardiola’s tactics made the game dull and led to a decline in Italian football.
“He has done a lot of harm to football because everyone spent ten years trying to copy him,” Capello said. “It ruined Italian football, which lost its nature. I said: ‘Stop, you don’t have Guardiola’s players’! People thought that passing the ball around was the only way to play well.”
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Guardiola’s style made football boring — Capello
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Ex England manager Fabio Capello || Imago
Capello argued that Guardiola’s tactics caused fans to lose interest in the game.
“A disaster and also a boredom that made many people flee from football. They only watch the highlights now. Why sit through 90 minutes of passing with no fight, no running?” Capello said. “Fortunately, football is changing. Spain proved that by winning the European Championship with two wingers and a fast-paced game.”
The Italian coach also criticized Guardiola’s approach in big matches, accusing him of overcomplicating tactics in crucial moments.
“You know what I don’t like about Guardiola? His arrogance,” Capello continued. “The Champions League he won with City was the only one where he didn’t try anything strange in the key matches. But every other year, at Manchester and Munich, he wanted to be the protagonist.”
Capello, who managed Guardiola at Roma in the 2002-03 season, recalled a tense relationship between them.
“We didn’t discuss anything at Roma. He came to tell me how I should do my job, and I told him: ‘Go for a run, and then you can talk,’” Capello revealed. “He was walking around the pitch while others were working harder. That was the end of the debate.”
Guardiola facing toughest spell at Man City
The Spaniard is currently enduring his worst season as Manchester City manager. The reigning Premier League champions have dropped to fifth in the table and are struggling to secure a Champions League spot.
Adding to their woes, City have been eliminated from the Champions League, failing to reach the round of 16 for the first time under Guardiola’s leadership.
