Top 5 clashes between Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola
Sep 7, 2016 at 4:52 PM
The upcoming Manchester derby will witness two familiar foes- Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola- locking horns against each other once again since their heated battles in Spain. Two of the most decorated managers of modern football, Mourinho and Guardiola are brought to revive the fortunes of Manchester United and Manchester City respectively. Both the managers are driven by their fierce will of winning every match and so every clash between them has been high voltage. Both the managers have registered three wins in the first three games and so one more high-voltage clash is on the cards.
So here we are presenting to you five memorable matches between these two tacticians:
5. Barcelona 1- 0 Inter Milan (Champions League semifinal, April 2010):
One of the earliest instances which gave a glimpse of the competitiveness between the two managers. Inter Milan won the first leg 3-1 but things were looking tough for them as they were playing against the defending champions at their home with a man down after just 28 minutes. However, a Mourinho masterclass bailed out the Italians as despite losing the match 1-0, they advanced to the finals. The Portuguese tactician “parked the bus” with 10 men for over an hour. At the final whistle, Mourinho let his emotions get the better of him and ran down the touchline at the Nou Camp with his hands in the air.
4. Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid (Spanish Super Cup, August 2011):
One of the many ill-tempered matches between the Spanish giants, the match was marred by off the pitch incidents. Madrid twice came from behind to level on aggregate, until Messi struck late on to add another trophy to Barcelona’s impressive cabinet. The off the field brawl took place when Marcelo was sent off for a rash challenge on Cesc Fabregas. The matter turned ugly when Real boss Mourinho involved himself in the brawl by poking then Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanova in the eye.
3. Real Madrid 0-2 Barcelona (Champions League semifinal, April 2011):
Another ill-tempered game between the arch rivals saw both Pepe and Mourinho sent off, with Messi grabbing two late goals to seize the initiative in a clear tactical win for Barca boss Guardiola. The Catalan giants went on to win the tournament.
2. Barcelona 0-1 Real Madrid (Copa del Rey final, April 2011):
The Portuguese tactician won his first trophy with Real Madrid when Cristiano Ronaldo’s extra-time goal secured a 1-0 victory over Barcelona in the final of the Copa del Rey, 2011. With the game looking set to be decided by penalties, the Portugal star leaped to head home a 103rd-minute header from Angel Di María’s cross. It was a tactical masterpiece by Mourinho, who played Pepe in midfield and Ronaldo as a striker.
1.Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid (La Liga, April 2012):
Probably the most important win for Mourinho with Madrid as the win against Barcelona paved the way for La Liga glory. Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner as Madrid closed in on its first title in four years. The goal led to the famous “Calma” celebration from the Portuguese forward. The season was the last season in Barcelona dugout for Guardiola as he decided to call time on his career at Barca after losing the league to Real and getting eliminated in the Champions League by Chelsea.