Pep Guardiola: Man City boss responds to scathing Fabio Capello attack

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola brushed aside Fabio Capello's scathing attack on his character and coaching career, instead offering a "big hug" to the spiky Italian pundit.

Capello, whose glittering managerial tenure saw him win multiple titles in Italy and Spain before he took over the England men's national team in 2007, launched into a fearsome and largely unprompted tirade against Guardiola last week.

The legendary head coach bemoaned Guardiola's "arrogance", insisting that he "always wanted to be the protagonist" above and beyond his players. Capello went on to accuse the transformative City boss of causing "tremendous damage to football", particularly in Serie A, by inspiring a long line of disciples who try to implement his possession-based style of football but instead create "a bore" which forces fans to only watch highlights.

When Guardiola was asked about this incredible verbal assault at a press conference on Friday, the City boss grinned. "I listen to everything that people say about me, so be careful," he said, pointing to the questioner and his eye which had a mischievous glint in it.

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

As Guardiola pointed out, this was not Capello's first jibe. As recently as December, the former Milan and Real Madrid manager called his Spanish counterpart "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. That was in my view an attempt to take the spotlight and the credit away from his squad."

The topic of "overthinking" has been a sore point for Guardiola in the past. The omission of Fernandinho and Rodri from the 2021 Champions League final - which City ended up losing to Chelsea - serves as the most glaring example of a surprise tactical decision which back-fired.

Naturally, this idea that Guardiola's tinkering is entirely destructive overlooks the multitude of matches won by his ingenuity, a fact which the Catalan coach has sarcastically pointed out in the past. Before his side hosted Real Madrid in the 2022 Champions League semi-final, a wild-eyed Guardiola told reporters: "I overthink a lot, that's why I have very good results."

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