The Great Rivalry Returns

There are some rivalries in football which no football fan can afford to miss. When we talk about great football rivalries in club football, the El Classico (Real Madrid v/s Barcelona), the Old Firm derby (Rangers v/s Celtic), Liverpool v/s Manchester United, the North London derby (Arsenal v/s Tottenham), the Derby della Madonnina (AC Milan v/s Inter Milan) instantly comes to mind. For Indians, especially the Kolkata people, the rivalry between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal adds a lot of intrigue and passion. Great international football rivalries that stand out are Brazil v/s Argentina, Germany v/s Netherlands, etc. There are also great rivalries between players which everyone awaits to witness like the matches involving the two greatest players of this generation, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

But one rivalry which fascinates the modern football is the rivalry between the two best managers at the moment, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho. The intriguing battle between these two masterminds of football has taken many twists and turns and whatever may be the result; one thing that everyone is sure of is that there will be plenty of drama when their sides play against each other.

Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola renew their coaching rivalry when Chelsea meet Bayern Munich in the European Super Cup on Friday in Prague. Neither of the two was in charge of the respective sides when Bayern won the 2013 Champions League and Chelsea the Europa League, but their presence adds extra spice to the game. A rivalry which started when Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan famously vanquished Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in the 2009-10 Champions League semi-finals, but the rivalry had become fierce between 2010 and 2012 after Mourinho became the manager of Real Madrid. They faced each other on numerous occasions in La Liga, Copa del Rey, Champions League and Spanish Super Cup. Unbelievably though, most of their games were tarnished by a high level of maddening controversy. Press conferences before El Clasicos became full-on character attacks while the atmosphere on the touchline was always heated. Guardiola and Mourinho have never shown any sign of friendship between themselves and they have yet to be compatible with each other at professional level as well.

Whereas Pep seemed to have the upper hand in the first meetings he had with Mourinho, the tables gradually switched overtime, and Mourinho eventually happened to find the key to nullify the Spaniard’s strategies. The last time they had met ended in a dramatic 2-1 win for Real Madrid against Barcelona at the Nou Camp, earning Los Blancos the 2011-12 La Liga title.

Certainly, both managers have learnt a lot through their previous meetings, and considering this fact we would be sure to have a Super Cup fuelled with flawless techniques and mental strength.