Jose Mourinho is no doubt one of the best managers in the world. He is also a master tactician. When he first came to the Premier League, he won two titles back to back with Chelsea
He only lost one game in the entirety of the 2004-05 season, and only 4 times on his way to a second consecutive title. For those two seasons, he seemed almost invincible as many struggled to get the better of him.
But with time every manager’s code can be deciphered and some even do it on a regular basis. Mourinho has the hoodoo over several of his rivals (one Arsene Wenger comes to mind) but some also have the hoodoo over him.
We look at five managers who have got the better of him on more than one occasion
5) Alan Pardew
Alan Pardew is one of the more popular names on this list simply because of the thrilling encounters he had with Jose Mourinho in the few games they have faced off so far in the Premier League.
Pardew and Mourinho, believe it or not have only faced each other three times when the Englishman was at Newcastle and Jose in his second spell at Chelsea. Their first meeting was in 2013.
Chelsea had lost only one in 9 and were second in the table. They travelled to Saint James' Park and were outplayed by a rampant Newcastle team. Yohan Gouffran and Loic Remy got the goals and Mourinho had made a new rival.
Then in the 2014/15 season, the year Chelsea won the title, the Blues were on an unbeaten run of 14 games and once again faced Pardew’s men. Several were even claiming they could do what the Arsenal Invincibles did.
But Pardew once again outwitted the Portuguese in a game where Drogba scored, but couldn’t quite help his team avoid defeat. This year Mourinho is with United and Pardew is with Crystal Palace, will it be the same old story?
4) Tony Pulis
The curse of the letter ‘P’ continues for Jose with Tony Pulis. The former Stoke City and current West Brom boss knows how to keep teams in the Premier League. After a 23-year long wait, Stoke City gained promotion in 2008 under the guidance of Pulis.
He turned the Britannia stadium, now called the Bet365 stadium into a fortress, and even big teams struggled to get a result when they visited. Mourinho’s Chelsea were no different.
The two managers have met on 4 occasions in the past and only once has Jose come out on top. Two games were draws and one was a victory for Pulis. Unlike his dislike for other managers who get the better of him, Jose was full of praise for this particular vanquisher.
The Special one had this to say about Pulis a few years back. “It's simple. If I own an English club, which I don't and which I'd never do, I'd sign Tony Pulis. It's as simple as that. His record is absolutely amazing, and he does what some people don't understand – but I do – and what other people sometimes don't rate, but I do. Which is the relation between what the manager wants and what the team is.”
Looks like Tony has a fan!
3) Rafael Benitez
Ah, it’s been a while since the name Rafel Benitez was mentioned in such high company. The Former Liverpool manager is considered a legend at Anfield, but did have his fair share of controversy with players and opposition managers.
The Jose – Benitez rivalry was one to watch, and Liverpool – Chelsea encounters gave us several memorable moments. He defeated him once in the league, once in the Champions League, once in the FA Cup and once in the Community shield.
They met eight times in total and there’s nothing to split the two, with 4 wins, 4 draws and 4 losses in their 12 meetings.
Now Benitez is at Tyneside trying to ensure Newcastle gain promotion to the First Divison as soon as possible. Who knows, maybe next season it will be Newcastle against United and a re-ignition of their old rivalry.
2) Jurgen Klopp
Jurgen Klopp has brought a new lease of life into Liverpool and Anfield in particular. Apart from the one brilliant season Brendan Rodgers had where they let slip the title (no pun intended), the famous ground hasn’t had too much to celebrate about.
But after Klopp’s arrival, there has been renewed optimism and the crowd are buzzing again. Klopp came in with a lot of reputation in Bundesliga and Europe. Mourinho was one who sadly felt the full force of his heavy metal football.
Dortmund met Madrid in the Champions League, four times in the same season. First, in the group stages, Dortmund came out on top at home with a 2-1 victory and away at the Bernabeu they managed to hold them to a 2-2 draw.
Then they met in the semis of the same tournament, where remarkably Mourinho's Madrid were humbled 4-1 at Westfalenstadion. They did manage to win the home leg 2-0 but it did not prevent them from getting knocked out of the tournament.
Fast forward a couple of years later and Chelsea the champions of the Premier League were taught a lesson by Liverpool, as they crumbled to a 3-1 defeat, an important result that eventually led to the Portuguese's sacking.
The duo are set to do battle once again this season.
1) Pep Guardiola
There is no manager in the footballing world who has a better record against Mourinho than Pep Guardiola. But this record holds more significance than others for Jose. Their rivalry goes way back and there is a lot of history between the two.
The two were initially friends at Barca where Jose was assistant manager. They parted ways later, but in 2008, a new coach was set to be appointed at the Catalan club. Jose thought he would get it because of his association with Barca but they ended up giving it to Guardiola.
Mourinho was adamant to prove his former employers they were wrong and went to Real Madrid. He learned a harsh lesson in his very first Clasico after his Madrid team received a 5-0 drubbing.
Jose was the only one to break Barca’s dominance over the La Liga title in Pep’s last season there but his overall record does not make for good reading. So in 2016, when it was announced Pep would be taking over at Manchester City and Jose at United people marked down their calendars for the first Manchester derby.
Unfortunately for Mourinho, his arch nemesis once again got the better of him as United slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford. In all the two have faced each other 17 times. Pep has 8 Wins to his name and Jose only has 3.
The Portuguese has a lot of catching up to do, but time is on his side,
