Pep Guardiola has hit back at Fabio Capello after criticism of his coaching style, insisting he is the man who has helped take the Premier League to a new level.
Relations between the pair have soured since Capello’s time at Roma, before a brief spell with Guardiola in 2002, with the Italian legend reportedly unhappy with Guardiola’s comments about him. Capello has
reignited the row at a time when Manchester City have struggled to win just one of their 13 games this season.
“Pep is too arrogant,” Capello told Sky Italia , suggesting the Spaniard is trying to prove to City that they are winning because of their tactics.
City have found their feet again, but their form has been inconsistent, with the Blues sitting fifth in the Premier League and facing the FA Cup as their only chance of winning major trophies this term. After winning the Community Shield in August,
Capello told Spanish outlet เล่นเกมคาสิโน UFABET ทันสมัย ฝากถอนง่าย that while he admires Guardiola’s tactics, he believes “Pep’s arrogance is bad for Italian football”, with many coaches trying to copy his style. Guardiola
seems to know this, as before the Brighton game he sarcastically replied: “I hear everything they say about me, so be careful. “
“This is not the first time that Mr. Fabio Capello has said this. I’m not so good as to destroy Italian football. Sending a big hug to Mr. Fabio.”
This style of responding with “mister” before the names of people he has had problems with has long been a trademark of Guardiola, whether it’s Joao Cancelo, Dimitri Seluk (Yaya Toure’s agent) or Kevin Parker (the secretary of the Manchester City supporters’ club). The
54-year-old was even more sarcastic when asked about the possibility of mid-tier Premier League teams challenging for the title.
“I don’t want to seem arrogant. And I don’t want to compare myself with the great manager like Mr. Fabio Capello, but I believe we have helped to raise the Premier League to a higher level. “
Teams have to invest more, which is good for the competition. Football has developed a lot, clubs have a better structure, make better decisions and have a lot of good players.”
He also cited the development of teams like Bournemouth, Brighton and Fulham, which used to play in the Championship when he first took charge of Man City, but are now teams that are contending for a Champions League place.
“I’m the longest-serving manager in the Premier League now, nine years. I’ve seen the changes in this league all the time and it has developed really far,” Guardiola concluded.