Saturday sees two of the world’s biggest rivals, Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola, square off in the Manchester derby. WADE PRETORIUS outlines their relationship in SoccerClub magazine …
It started in 2009 when Barcelona travelled to the San Siro to face Inter Milan in the group stages of the Champions League. Neither side could gain control of the encounter, which left their managers, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho, to share the spoils and sulk on the sidelines without either of them taking home the bragging rights. Expect fireworks when these two square off in Manchester.
Two of the world’s best managers – add ‘of all time’ when they eventually retire – have since escalated their conflict, taking it from the Champions League to La Liga via the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup, much to the delight of audiences around the world.
That 2009 encounter wasn’t the first meeting of the pair. That came back on Barca’s Joan Gamper training ground where Jose Mourinho was cutting his teeth as a coach, while Pep Guardiola was playing for the Catalan giants. Yes, they may be classified as two of world football’s most infamous rivals but the duo were in close quarters, learning every day about
the game and success, from 1996 to 2000.
As the Premier League season begins, their roadshow arrives in England, one clad in light blue, the other red. Who will emerge victorious in arguably the most competitive and demanding arena of them all?
Both take over clubs in transition, although Guardiola arrives with far less remodelling to do. His major problems won’t be a squad overhaul but rather how to take his side from strong Premier League contenders to perennial winners in England and from European dark horses to Champions League winners. Guardiola has been brought in – the boldest move yet by the club’s Abu Dhabi owners – to cap the project that began in 2008 by adding a Champions League trophy to their treasure chest.
Across the city, Mourinho has far more on his plate: he must not only solve Manchester United’s midfield problems, something that has not been addressed since well before Sir Alex Ferguson left Old Trafford, but he must also reinvigorate the club’s last line of defence. United’s defensive fragilities have been a major stumbling block to his two predecessors and Mourinho must rectify the inconsistencies of those playing just ahead of Spanish No 1 David De Gea before attempting to revive the winning heartbeat that once pumped so powerfully through the Theatre of Dreams.
The ‘Special One’ has landed his first victory in red by convincing De Gea to remain a Red Devil, something that appeared impossible for large parts of last season.
Mourinho and Guardiola are polar opposites across all key indicators; as men and as managers. The former personifies the dogged fighter who sets his team out to do a particular job,
whether it be attacking a weak team one week or parking the bus in order to scrape out a draw the next. The latter; the suave gentleman, his team determined to replicate his slick style on the field, playing an attractive, fluid possession game as they attempt to pass the ball from goalkeeper up the field before tapping home yet another goal.
The on-field battle between the pair should have neutrals and die-hard fans salivating in expectation. Mourinho’s Real Madrid outscored Barcelona during the Special One’s three-year reign in La Liga. Los Blancos scored 326 goals, two more than Barca’s tally, in those three seasons, which included a La Liga record of 121 in their title-winning 2011-12 campaign. Guardiola ended with seven wins to Mourinho’s three during their battles in Spain but Barcelona possessed one of
the best teams in the modern era.
These two great managers are on a collision course, with the results set to be as sensational as they were on that first night in Milan and every other time they met in La Liga. The Premier League’s most anticipated season just got a whole lot more intriguing.
Guardiola’s trophy haul:
Champions League – 2
Club World Cup – 3
La Liga – 3
Spanish Super Cup – 3
Uefa Super Cup – 3
Copa del Ray – 2
Bundesliga – 3
German Cup – 2
FA Cup 1
Mourinho’s trophy haul:
Champions League – 2
Uefa Cup – 1
Italian Super Cup – 1
League Cup – 3
Community Shield – 2
Serie A – 2
Coppa Italia – 1
La Liga – 1
Copa del Ray – 1
Spanish Super Cup – 1
Portuguese League – 2
Portuguese Cup – 1
Portuguese Super Cup – 1
– This article first appeared in issue 71 of SoccerClub magazine.
