Retired since 2018, Fabio Capello now spends his time commenting on various football matters, appearing as a pundit here and there and giving the odd interview.
He did so on Tuesday for Gazzetta dello Sport, where he primarily spoke about Stefano Pioli and the great job he is doing at Milan these days, but also touched upon other managers.
Asked about Simone Inzaghi at Lazio, the former England boss said there was one game recently where it was clear that a manager had studied his opponents and prepared for them ideally, which was when Antonio Conte at Tottenham faced Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola.
Spurs won that game 3-2, ending a great unbeaten run by the Etihad side, and while they went on to then lose 1-0 to Burnley the following game, Capello explained that what the Italian did that day against his Spanish counterpart was excellent coaching.
He said: “Conte was fantastic. He studied Guardiola, saw that he jumps on you and the whole team moves towards the ball carrier. He attracted to one side, and with three changes, he surprised them and won.
“They suffered, because you suffer against City, as they are the one with the most quality, but you can beat it. Guardiola orders to recover the ball in 12 seconds, and then rest. In those 12 seconds, you can hurt them. This is how a game is prepared.”
Tottenham’s most recent result was the 5-0 drubbing of Everton on Monday night, in which Conte once again showed why Daniel Levy and co. decided to do everything to bring him to Spurs once Nuno Espírito Santo was dismissed.
There have been blips, and it will take time for the London side to challenge the likes of Manchester City in the long run, but it’s clear the managerial standard is there to turn things around, as his track record speaks for itself.
