Fabio Capello has lamented Italian football's obsession with Pep Guardiola as a major reason behind their World Cup failure.
The Azzurri were shocked by North Macedonia in their World Cup qualifier as the underdogs claimed a 1-0 victory in Palermo. It means the Euro 2020 champions, who toppled England at Wembley just nine months ago, will not be in Qatar later this year flying the flag for Europe.
Guardiola has proved to be a revolutionary coach since taking charge at Barcelona in 2008. The Catalan has led the way in possession-based tactics and pressing the opposition - something the Italians tried to emulate. Capello thinks adopting such tactics undermined their ambitions and instead thinks replicating the methods used by Jurgen Klopp would prove a better solution.
