Pep Guardiola has responded with humor to harsh criticism from former AC Milan and England manager Fabio Capello. When asked about Capello's comments during a Friday press conference, Guardiola jokingly suggested he had mystical powers, saying, "I listen to everything that people say about me, everything, so be careful!"
Capello had accused the Manchester City manager of "arrogance" and claimed that Guardiola's desire to "be the main character" has cost him several Champions League titles. The Italian coach also controversially stated that Guardiola "has done a lot of harm to football" because clubs have spent a decade trying to copy his style.
In particular, Capello blamed Guardiola's influence for damaging Italian football: "It ruined Italian football, which lost its nature. I said: 'Stop, you don't have Guardiola's players'! There was also the absurd idea that that was all there was to do to play well."
Rather than retaliating against these sharp comments, Guardiola took the high road, offering a lighthearted response and "a big hug" to the Italian manager. "This isn't the first time Mr. Fabio Capello has said something like this," Guardiola acknowledged. "But I'm not good enough to ruin Italian football. Italian football is far bigger than the way we play."
The exchange comes during a challenging 2024-25 season for Manchester City, who currently sit fifth in the Premier League standings. The club is now fighting for Champions League qualification rather than their usual title contention after suffering an early exit from the European competition. This marks the first time since Guardiola took charge in 2016 that City has failed to advance past the Champions League group stage.
City's struggles continued with a 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest last weekend. They'll be looking to bounce back when they face Brighton on Saturday, hoping to secure a top-four finish as their title hopes fade.
