Fabio Capello insists Italian football ‘tried to copy’ Pep Guardiola, but it was ’10 years late’ and explains Serie A struggles with European football intensity by mentioning Joshua Zirkzee: ‘He doesn’t have time to think.’
Capello is highly critical of Serie A football after recent Juventus and Bologna defeats in the Champions League.
In the latest round, only Inter and Milan won their games, while Atalanta drew at home against Celtic.
In his latest interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport sport, Capello said that Italian clubs used to dominate European football with pressing and vertical football. Then, “We started copying Guardiola, but we were 10 years late, and these are the results.
“We are slower than the others, and our ball possession is often sterile. The ball moves slowly, and we are often not concrete,” said the ex-Italian tactician.
Capello: Italian football ‘tried to copy’ Guardiola, Zirkzee has ‘no time to think’ at Man Utd
“This path led us nowhere at the Euros and could damage us in European competitions. Spain has put ball possession at all costs on a side and plays more vertically. Pep Guardiola’s City keep the ball, but they do it in the opponents’ half, not in front of their box, as we see in Serie A.”
Capello said something very similar on Tuesday following Juventus and Bologna’s European losses.
Liverpool coach Arne Slot has also mentioned the intensity gap between Serie A and Premier League, while discussing Federico Chiesa’s fitness issues at Anfield.
“The point is intensity. Our clubs are too slow in the Champions League because they are accustomed to the Serie A rhythm,” insisted Capello.
“I asked Italiano what he thought about Aston Villa and Liverpool, and he said: ‘They are faster; they run more than we do.’ Look at Zirkzee in the Premier League and tell me if he looks like the same player we admired at Bologna. He did what he wanted in Italy, but in England, it feels that he doesn’t even have time to think about what he has to do. More or less, the same thing happens to our clubs.”
Capello also feels that recurrent protests against referees affect Italian teams in Europe.
“I constantly see players who remain on the ground for a long time after any challenge, and if the referee tries to accelerate the play, everyone protests, including the fans,” he said.
“It doesn’t work like this outside Italy, and teams like Juventus, Inter and Milan end up suffering the intensity of European opponents, even if they have less quality.