Capello: Don't try to copy Barcelona

Capello: You can't copy Barcelona

Jan 18, 2013 5:50:00 PM

The former England coach has hailed the Catalans as the benchmark and says it is difficult for others to attempt to imitate them because they do not have the same type of players

Fabio Capello has said that it is pointless trying to copy Barcelona and it would be a mistake to do so.

Many teams have tried to play like the Blaugrana because of how dominant they were under former trainer Pep Guardiola, who guided them to 14 trophies in four years, and now current boss Tito Vilanova.

However, the Russia coach believes that only Barcelona can play in the manner that they do because of the players such as, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi, at their disposal.

Capello told reporters: “Tactically the new benchmark is Barcelona, but if you try to copy the style it is a big mistake because you can only play that way with Barcelona players.”

Former England coach Capello did go on to say that while you cannot replicate the way the Catalan giants play in full, you can emulate some parts of their game.

He added: “But there are some aspects you can copy, the defensive style. When you lose the ball you go forward together to win back the ball quickly, never go back, never return to midfield.

“They lose the ball, they go forward. For me this is something new. But you need players with the talent of [Andres] Iniesta or [Lionel] Messi, because it is otherwise impossible to adapt this style of football.”