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There has been a recent feud brewing in the footballing world between Pep Guardiola and Fabio Capello, the former England manager. Capello has openly criticised Guardiola, labeling him as "arrogant" and suggesting that his tactical approach has caused "tremendous damage" to football. In an interview with El Mundo, Capello reflected on Guardiola's influence, stating that while he acknowledges Guardiola's achievements, he believes the widespread attempt to emulate his style has negatively impacted Italian football. He also picked on Guardiola’s last minute tactical changes in important matches and said, “The Champions League he won with City is the only one where he didn’t try anything funny in the decisive matches.”
Guardiola, who is usually calm when talking to the media in such instances, responded with humor to Capello's remarks. He acknowledged Capello's criticisms light-heartedly, mentioning that he is aware of public opinions and jokingly claimed to be monitoring such comments. He said, "I listen to everything that people say about me. So be careful!" Capello, who has managed the England and Russian national teams previously, had his last managerial stint with the Chinese club Jiangsu FC in 2018.
Not the best season for Man City under Pep Guardiola so far
This isn’t the first time that Guardiola has been subject to heavy criticism from outside in this season after his team has not played the best brand of football so far. While Man City got knocked out of the RO16 playoff round of the UEFA Champions League after losing to Real Madrid last month, they aren’t in a position that most would expect in the Premier League either. Guardiola’s side is currently fifth in the PL table behind clubs like Chelsea and Nottingham Forest.
Their upcoming Premier League is against Brigthon, and Guardiola will have to make sure that they get a win today in order to stay alive in the hunt for a Champions League spot next season. They are closely tailed by Newcastle United in sixth place on the table with the same points tally.
