Former England manager accuses Pep Guardiola of ‘losing trophies’ due to ‘arrogance’

Fabio Capello believes Guardiola has cost his teams trophies with his decisions in big games

Former England manager Fabio Capello has described Pep Guardiola as “arrogant” and accused the Manchester City boss of costing his teams trophies.

Guardiola is in the midst of a horror run that has seen his side stumble domestically and in the Champions League.

Hopes of a fourth successive Premier League crown appear slim while Manchester City are also in danger of missing out on the knockout rounds in Europe.

While the Catalan coach has overseen significant success at each of his clubs, Capello feels that Guardiola should have won more silverware.

“[Pep] Guardiola is a great coach, but he is far too arrogant and presumptuous,” said Capello on Sky Sport Italia after Manchester City were condemned to a defeat to Juventus.

“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.”

Guardiola’s predilection for tinkering in major finals and key games has been a long-term talking point, with the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss heavily criticised for Champions League exits to Tottenham and Lyon in 2019 and 2020.

Manchester City have won just once in their last ten games in all competitions and have slipped to fourth in the Premier League table, trailing leaders Liverpool by eight points.

They host rivals Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.