Manchester City are the Premier League champions, after Manchester United were handed a shock defeat by West Brom last night. The race to the title wasn’t a closely fought contest, and City winning the title looked inevitable very early on in the season. And a lot of credit should go to Pep Guardiola, the mastermind behind City’s success. We really think he is the best manager in the league by a distance; even better than Jose Mourinho who regards himself as ‘The Special One.’
Once upon a time, Guardiola and Mourinho worked for FC Barcelona and were good friends. Years later, they are managing two of the best Premier League teams — Manchester City and Manchester United (before this, they’ve slugged it out in the La Liga as managers of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona). It’s no secret that all’s not well in between them, and even though some Manchester United fans would disagree, we think Pep Guardiola is far better. Here’s a closer look at how they turned from friends to bitter foes.
Now that you’ve seen the fascinating story behind their rivalry, let’s look a 5 rational reason why one is better than the other.
Better signings
Pep Guardiola definitely did much better in the transfer with signings such as Bernardo Silva and Ederson coming up with the goods. In comparison, Jose Mourinho’s signings like Romelu Lukaku left a lot to be desired.
Better utilization of players
Under Guardiola, players like Raheem Sterling and Kevin de Bruyne have found their A-Game and have performed in a scintillating fashion this season. While Kevin de Bruyne is now regarded as one of the world’s best players, Raheem Sterling’s stock has risen considerably too. The same can’t be said about Jose Mourinho who has been criticising his players left, right and centre.
Much more sensible press conferences
While Mourinho goes on whining about injuries, referees and even god in his press conferences, Guardiola chooses his words far more carefully. What the manager says publicly does have an impact on the dressing room environment too, and Guardiola knows how how to keep the champion mentality alive in his side.
No uncertainty about the future
Jose Mourinho’s future as the Manchester United manager looks shaky considering he’s been linked with a move to PSG. On the other hand, Pep Guardiola looks set to continue as the CIty manager given his success.
Good football vs. parking the bus
The most important difference between Guardiola and Mourinho is that while Guardiola believes in playing a more attacking and attractive form of football, Mourinho is a lot more defensive and doesn’t mind being boring as long as his team wins. So for neutrals, Guardiola’s team is far more exciting to watch.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
