Manchester United v Manchester City: Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola go head-to-head for the 17th time, but who holds the best all-time record?
Managerial powerhouses, and fierce enemies, have faced off a huge number of times during heated spells at Chelsea, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Real Madrid
THIS Saturday’s Manchester derby is fast becoming one of the most anticipated in years.
With Manchester United looking back on the right track in 2016-17 under new boss Jose Mourinho, they look a force to be reckoned with after three sub-par years under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal.
Meanwhile, cross-town rivals Manchester City have Pep Guardiola at the helm after a disappointing 2015-16 under Manuel Pellegrini and are starting to look like a title-contender.
Not only that, it’s time for the 17th edition of Jose versus Pep…
The pair are famous frenemies, having been one-time club colleagues, before their managerial spats added a bitter layer to their relationship.
16 games played against each other, ten red cards shown, tells you all you need to know: This deadly duo send their teams out to do battle, to do whatever it takes to get the win.
But ahead of the Denis Law derby – a feisty affair as it is – which boss has the rub of the green when it comes to those all-important three points?
ERA ONE: Guardiola’s Barcelona v Mourinho’s Inter Milan
1. Inter Milan 0 Barcelona 0 – Sep 16, 2009
THE first ever showdown between the pair as managers ended in a 0-0 draw at the San Siro.
A typically intriguing, tactical affair, the sides were happy to share the spoils in their Champions League group game.
A tame start, but the drama was just getting started…
2. Barcelona 2 Inter Milan 0 – November 24, 2009
IT was Guardiola’s giants who got the better of the reverse leg though, with Xavi pulling the strings from midfield, ripping open the Inter defence with ease.
Despite having no Lionel Messi or Zlatan Ibrahimovic to call on, goals from Gerard Pique and Pedro early in the first half all but ended the game.
After the clash, the ever-outspoken Mourinho brazenly claimed: “If I had to play against Barca again tomorrow, I would already be ready.
“If you told me that Inter will face Barca in the semi-final, I will accept it already.”
3. Inter Milan 3 Barcelona 1 – April 20, 2010
WELL, the Special One got his wish as his Serie A giants drew Barcelona in the semi-final of the Champions League the very same season.
The first leg in Italy saw the hosts fall behinds thanks to a Pedro strike, but goals from Wesley Sneijder, Maicon and Diego Milito saw Inter Milan take a healthy 3-1 lead to the return leg at the Nou Camp.
4. Barcelona 1 Inter Milan 0 – April 28, 2010
WITH Barca needing at least a 2-0 win to reach the final, things got off to a bad start when Thiago Motta was sent off in the first half.
Yet a vintage Mourinho display on the defensive end saw Inter keep the rampant Barcelona at bay until the 84th minute.
Pique eventually broke the deadlock, but Jose and Co held on for the last ten minutes or so to clinch a famous aggregate win – and a place in the Champions League final.
ERA ONE SCORE: Pep 2, Jose 1, Draw 1
VERDICT: Guardiola may have won the battle, winning two games to Mourinho’s one, but Jose won the war, ultimately progressing further in the Champions League, winning the trophy with a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in the final.
ERA TWO: Guardiola’s Barcelona v Mourinho’s Real Madrid
5. Barcelona 5 Real Madrid 0 – November 29, 2010
NOW things start to get really interesting as Mourinho and Guardiola are in charge of the top two teams in La Liga, two bitter rivals… In manager and teams.
And things got off to a less than ‘Special’ start for Jose as his Real Madrid side were thumped 5-0 at the Nou Camp, thanks to a Messi-inspired masterclass.
The Argentine wizard tore open the Galacticos’ defence, with David Villa netting a brace to welcome Mr Mourinho to El Clasico warfare.
Pep piled on the misery after the final whistle, smugly stating: “I’m proud the whole world has seen how we play football.”
6. Real Madrid 1 Barcelona 1 – April 16, 2011
THIS game kicked off the first of four games between the sides in just TWO weeks, thanks to a La Liga clash, the Copa del Rey final and a Champions League two-legger.
The first game, in the Spanish top flight was drawn 1-1, with a Messi penalty being cancelled out by a Cristiano Ronaldo spot-kick.
The draw restored some kind of pride for Mourinho following the 5-0 humiliation of earlier that year, but there was more to come…
7. Barcelona 0 Real Madrid 1 – April 20, 2011
MOURINHO finally got his first win over Pep as Real boss – and in the Copa del Rey final, no less.
It took extra time, but a Ronaldo header proved decisive as Jose delved into his bag of tactical tricks to orchestrate the win.
He played Ronaldo up front – a novelty five years ago – and Pepe in midfield in a bid to stifle Messi and Co’s creativity… To great effect.
After Pep complained about a Pedro goal being ruled out for offside, Mourinho antagonised the Spaniard, saying: “Up until now there was a very small group of coaches who didn’t talk about referees and a larger group who did.
“Now, with Pep’s comments, we have started a new era with a third group, featuring only one person, a man who criticises [the referee] when he makes good decisions.
“This is completely new to me.”
Pep retaliated brutally, snapping: “As senor Mourinho has called me Pep, I’m going to call him Jose.
“Tomorrow we will face each other on the pitch. Off the pitch he’s won. He’s been winning off the pitch all season.
“Let them give him a Champions League for it so he can enjoy it and take it home.
“In the press room he is ‘el p*** jefe’ (the f***ing boss) and the one who knows more than everyone else.”
8. Real Madrid 0 Barcelona 2 – April 27, 2011
WITH the rivalry at peak ferocity, both Real defender Pepe and Mourinho were sent off during a 2-0 home loss to Barca – the fifth time in a row a Mourinho player saw red against a Pep side…
Messi grabbed a brace as Guardiola’s men seized the initiative in the Champions League semi-final tie.
After the tie, Jose fumed: “One day, I would like Josep Guardiola to win this competition properly.
“Josep Guardiola is a fantastic coach. But I have won two Champions Leagues and he has won [only] one Champions League – and that is one that would embarrass me.
“I would be ashamed to have won it with the scandal of Stamford Bridge. If he wins it this year, it will be with the scandal of the Bernabeu.
“Deep down, if they are good people, it cannot taste right for them.
“I hope one day Guardiola has the chance of winning a brilliant, clean championship with no scandal.”
9. Barcelona 1 Real Madrid 1 – May 3, 2011
WITH the fire well and truly stoked, Madrid could only muster a draw as Pep’s Barca reached the Champions League final.
Pedro netted the game’s first before a Marcelo equaliser – with Mourinho serving his touchline suspension.
After the aggregate win, Pep said, presumably to Mourinho’s disgust: “This has been one of the most beautiful nights I have ever lived.”
10. Real Madrid 2 Barcelona 2 – August 14, 2011
THE pair – at this point at each other’s throats – had the summer to try and cool off…
But they were thrust straight back into action as early as August with the two-legged Spanish Super Cup clash.
Real and Barca shared the spoils at the Bernabeu after Mesut Ozil got Madrid off to a flyer.
Villa and Messi put Guardiola’s side back in front, but Xabi Alonso ensured the game ended level.
It was a relatively tame game, with many hoping the tension between Pep and Jose had simmered down…
11. Barcelona 3 Real Madrid 2 – August 18, 2011
JOSE’S brave Madrid twice came back from a goal down to level things at 2-2 in the all-important second leg.
But Messi struck late to gift Guardiola another title – and another win over now fierce rival Mourinho.
Any hopes of relieved tension were ill-judged however, as the second leg at the Nou Camp played host to some horrific scenes, including Jose poking Barca assistant Tito Vilanova in the eye after a shocking tackle from Marcelo on Cesc Fabregas.
Jose then gestured towards Messi and Dani Alves before venting his frustration on the Barca ball-boys.
After the game, Barca defender Pique slammed Mourinho, saying: “Someone has to take action on the matter. Mourinho is destroying Spanish football.”
Jose meanwhile defended his actions, adding: “We intended to play like men and not fall on the ground at the slightest touch. I have been taught to play like a man and not to fall first.”
12. Real Madrid 1 Barcelona 3 – December 10, 2011
FROM there it was onto the first league game of the season in December, with Barcelona running out 3-1 victors at the Bernabeu.
Karim Benzema netted the fastest goal in Clasico history, but Alexis Sanchez, Xavi and Fabregas ensured Guardiola continued his march over Mourinho.
13. Real Madrid 1 Barcelona 2 – January 18, 2012
THE pair only had a few weeks to wait until their next clash – with the two-legged Copa del Rey quarter-final showdown.
Ronaldo’s goal was cancelled out by Carlos Puyol, before Eric Abidal gave Barca a crucial away-leg lead.
Frustrations once again boiled over as that man Pepe stamped on Messi – with cracks beginning to appear in the Real dressing room.
14. Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 2 – January 25, 2012
AHEAD of the game, Barca fans poked fun at Real with a banner reading: “Wanted: a worthy rival for a decent Clasico.”
Barcelona went 2-0 up in the game – three on aggregate – before Real stormed back with a pair of their own.
It wasn’t enough though, as Pep and Co reached the cup semi-final to continue their dominance over Jose’s men.
Interestingly, while Barca had Real’s number in head-to-heads at this point, Madrid were unstoppable in the league, winning 11 straight following that Clasico defeat earlier in the year to sit top of the league by the time they faced up next…
15. Barcelona 1 Real Madrid 2 – April 21, 2012
…WHICH came in April, with Real exerting their league dominance in a 2-1 win at the Nou Camp.
Ronaldo netted the winner as the Galacticos increased their lead at the top of La Liga to seven points with only four games remaining, taking advantage of tired Barcelona legs following their midweek battle with Chelsea in the Champions League.
The game was Barca’s first home loss in 55 matches, Real’s first Clasico win in four years and their first at the Nou Camp in five years.
After the game, Guardiola quipped: “We can’t expect to always be up to the standard but it’s a pity we faltered in the decisive moment.
As Real romped home to the league title, Guardiola said he needed some time off.
Mourinho – ever the gentlemen – paid him an emotionless send-off, saying: “It’s his life, but for me it’s unthinkable to take a sabbatical.
“He is younger than me, but I’m not tired.”
ERA TWO SCORE: Pep 5, Jose 2, Draw 4
VERDICT: Guardiola clearly had the better of Jose during their days in Spain, earning more wins and truly getting under the skin of Mourinho. That said Jose did still get his hands on a La Liga and Copa del Rey title…
ERA THREE: Guardiola’s Bayern Munich v Mourinho’s Chelsea
16. Bayern Munich 2 Chelsea 2 (Bayern won 5-4 on penalties) – August 30, 2013
INDEED, Guardiola did leave Barcelona, but was snapped up by Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich within a year.
And it took just weeks for his Munich side to face off with Mourinho again – as they took on Chelsea in the Super Cup showdown in Prague.
The game ended 2-2 after extra-time, with Pep’s side coming out on top on penalties after the Blues were reduced to ten-men thanks to a horror tackle from Ramires on Mario Gotze.
Despite losing once again to his ferocious rival, Mourinho bitterly claimed: “The best team clearly lost. They just scored one more penalty.”
ERA THREE SCORE: Pep 0, Jose 0, Draw 1
OVERALL SCORE: Pep 7, Jose 3, Draw 6
VERDICT: Head-to-head, Guardiola has the better record, but with both bosses at new teams and no matches between the duo in three years, anything could happen.
Just make sure you brace yourself for fireworks…