5 reasons why Jose Mourinho has the edge over Pep Guardiola

#1 The desire to avenge the past

Barcelona v Real Madrid - La Liga — Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola have a long-standing rivalry

Finally, there is a score to settle, and it is a score that rankles with Mourinho more than Guardiola. During their rivalry in Spain, Barcelona were seen as the purists choice, and Mourinho's sour relationship with the Spanish press did little to improve his popularity.

While Barcelona redefined the way the game is played, Mourinho's Real Madrid were seen as the negative element when the two sides met, and the highly-charged El Clasico games were usually dragged down to Mourinho's level.

Even when Real Madrid stormed to the La Liga title in 2011/12 by breaking a string of points and goalscoring records, it was Pep Guardiola that claimed the Coach of the Year award. He was always the popular figure, and as the press and public increasingly turned against Mourinho, so Guardiola's status was elevated at his expense.

It was a situation that hurt Mourinho's pride, and his desire to restore his status over that of his nemesis will give him the additional drive needed to take his Manchester United side over the line this season.

About the author

As a freelance football writer, I have extensive experience of covering the European game for a wide range of top level digital platforms and printed publications.

I have performed a number of exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in the football world, and have reported live from the finals of UEFA EURO, Champions League fixtures, Europa League fixtures, Women's Champions League fixtures as well as top international and club fixtures during the course of my career.

My role has enabled me to sit down exclusively with the likes of Thierry Henry, Edgar Davids, Gareth Bale, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ryan Giggs, Aaron Ramsey and many others to discuss their experiences of competing at the very highest-level.

For Sportskeeda, I will be taking a closer look at the stories behind the stories from across the European game, with regular exclusive features on the players, clubs and managers making the headlines.

Know More

Edited by Amit Mishra