How Guardiola won the bitter war against Mourinho

Posted Saturday, February 01, 2020 by Goal.com

The intense competition from the pair's respective Barcelona and Real Madrid days never materialised as City boss dominated the rivalry in Manchester

We were promised explosions. But almost four years after arriving in England, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho face each other on Sunday with an increasing respect for each other.

"I’m sorry for you. I know you were looking forward [to it] but I’m sorry,” Guardiola told journalists about the lack of enmity ahead of Manchester City’s trip to Tottenham.

It was in May 2016, months after City had secured the most-wanted coach in the world, that rivals Manchester United responded by appointing the one man available they believed could stop Guardiola building an empire at the Etihad Stadium.

After a fiery relationship on either side of the Barcelona and Real Madrid feud, complete with angry press conferences and touchline rumbles, there was plenty of anticipation of a renewed rivalry in one city between what could become two of the clubs in England.

In reality, other than a minor spat in the Old Trafford tunnel as Mourinho failed to halt City’s march to a first Premier League title under Guardiola, their Manchester rivalry passed off without incident.

"Maybe we are older and more experienced,” Guardiola said. “I know every time when we played when he was at United, always the people weren’t talking about how we are going to play or how he is going to play, who is going to win, it was just about my press conference. Did I say something or did he say something and after do it and after you are happy. But I’m sorry, I told you, it didn’t happen.”

However, the main reason for the lack of edge during their time in Manchester was a lack of competitiveness between the two teams. City and United finished on the same points in the season before they were appointed and while neither were able to challenge champions Chelsea in their debut campaign, Guardiola was starting to build something special. Mourinho won two cups but was trying to hold his side together.

Those who claimed Guardiola’s attacking tactics would never work in England were proved badly wrong as City rewrote the record books to land the title with 100 points.

Mourinho insisted that finishing second in 2018 was one of his greatest achievements as a manager. But pitted against the fresh and dynamic side from five miles down the road, his ideas looked stale and old-fashioned.

The Portuguese starts with the defence and works his way forward. That season, United conceded just one more goal than City, but scored 38 fewer as they finished 19 points behind.

But it was not just tactically where they differed. Guardiola moved him and his family into a city centre apartment to immerse themselves in Manchester life while Mourinho lived alone in a Salford hotel.

There were grumblings from inside the club that players and staff were not happy with the way young players were developing. Soon after the trademark fallouts with press and players - most notably star man Paul Pogba - and his inevitable departure happened in December 2018 after the club’s worst start in 18 years.

Guardiola insists Mourinho deserves more respect and his managerial record speaks for itself - multiple league titles in England, Italy, Portugal and Spain, two Champions League and cabinet full of other silverware.

"Periods for managers are up and down, everyone has it,” the City boss said. “You have seasons with good and bad periods, you have to change teams and build things.

"For 15 or 20 years Jose has been there all the time and that must be respected, from my point of view. Because I think it’s the most difficult thing - to stay for a long time and to be there all the time. When you win a lot of titles and then the moment you don’t people think, ‘Ah it’s not good’. The exception is when you win a lot.

"Normally In sport you lose more than you win. Michael Jordan is the greatest example of this. He won six NBA titles in 15 or 16 seasons, so they lost more than they won and he was the greatest athlete I’ve ever seen in my life, so you try keep going and work hard and that’s all.”

Guardiola has never faced an opposing manager more times than Mourinho - Sunday’s clash will be the 23rd time - and only Jurgen Klopp has beaten him more than the Tottenham boss.

Both remain in the Champions League and a repeat of last season’s quarter-final could see a resumption of the intense rivalry from their Barca - Real days but for now the ceasefire remains in place. Guardiola won the war in Manchester but recognises a tough opponent.

"Always I had incredible respect for what he’s done for football and in his career, always,” he added. “Sometimes a situation happens and it’s part of our job but that’s all.”

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