Jose vs. Josep
The football world is full of rivalries shaped by geography, politics, and personality cults. Examples include the political rivalry between England and Argentina in 1986 World Cup quarter finals because of the Falkland iIlands, the famous derbies across the globe that represent inner tensions between two or more teams within one city like Inter and Milan in Italy, Arsenal and Chelsea in London, and Real and Atletico in Madrid.
In addition, there are even rivalries that are based on which player is better, like Pele and Maradona, and Messi or Ronaldo. Yet very rarely do we come across a rivalry between football coaches that crosses countries, teams and times like the rivalry between Josep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho.
The rivalry between Josep “Pep” Guardiola and Jose Mourinho did not start in a usual way due to teams’ rivalry, but rather a causal and personal relationship rivalry that begun in 1996. Jose Mourinho was hired as a translator for the new coach of Barcelona at the time, Sir Bobby Robson, while Guardiola played for Barcelona at the same time. There were no occasions of hatred or conflict between the two, and they had mutual respect between themselves at these times.
The problem began around 10 years later. At the time, Mourinho became a very successful coach that had accomplished every possible title with Porto, while also guiding Chelsea to two Premier league titles, but failure in the continental arena led to the end of his way in England.
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At the same time, Barcelona was looking to appoint a new coach at Camp Nau, and Mourinho thought that he would be appointed because of his recent success in other clubs and his past in Barcelona. However, Barcelona appointed a young, inexperienced, and unproven coach, Pap Guardiola. This move ignited the spark of the biggest coaching rivalry of this generation, Pep vs. Jose.
Disappointed and revengeful Jose’ decides to sign as the coach of Inter Milan in 2008. Under his role, Inter managed to win the Serie A, but in the eyes of the fans it was not enough, since Mourinho lost the Italian cup and exited the Champions League in the first Knockout round during that season. Meanwhile, Barcelona becomes one of the best and most entertaining teams in Europe, bringing into life the Tiki-Taka style of football.
With the lead of the La Masia academy players, Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, Barcelona accomplished a historic achievement, the treble, winning the domestic cup and league, while winning the Champions League all in one season, and they were doing so by crushing every opponent they faced. Barcelona’s bet seemed to pay off the risk while Mourinho was struggling in Italy and Europe again. Yet faith was holding another ace in its sleeve.
That same line of excitement in Barcelona continued the following year with another domestic double and the achievement of another Champions league semifinals. Meanwhile in Italy, Mourinho found his rhythm too and also achieves a domestic double and a champions League Semifinals. And guess who meets who in that legendary Semi Final? Correct, Inter Milan vs. Barcelona FC. Many people believed that Inter and Mourinho did not have a chance against the mighty Barcelona, but “the Translator” (nickname given to Mourinho due to his past) had different plans.
With a tactical mastery, Inter beats Barcelona 3-1 in the San Siro, gaining a huge advantage, before the second leg in which Barcelona won 1-0, and qualified to their first Champions league finals since 1972. “ The most beautiful defeat of my career”, that what Mourinho said after the game and his iconic celebrations on the pitch of the Camp Nau, marking him as a true “special one”. Inter at that season completed the Treble after defeating Bayern Munich 2-0, and making history of their own. But that was only the beginning of that rivalry.
You know the famous saying the enemy of my enemy is my friend, well Real Madrid, the archrival of Barcelona, decided to sign Mourinho the following season. This decision was the beginning of the peak of the rivalry between Guardiola and Mourinho, highlighted by the biggest games of El-Classico history. On November 29th, 2010, was the first El Clasico between Guardiola and Mourinho, and it was one for the ages.
On one hand you had Real Madrid with the “Galacticos 2.0” led by Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Angel Di Maria and Mesut Ozil. On the other hand you had the fresh Treble winners, Barcelona with Messi, Xavi and Iniesta. Both teams were in great shape and form, both in Spain and Europe, intensifying the hype around the game. At the end it was not even close. Barcelona humiliated Real 5-0 at the Camp Nou leaving no doubts who is the better team in Spain.
Later that season the two teams met another four times: once in the league, at the Copa Del Ray finals, and twice in the Champions League Semi Finals, in a period of 18 days, which was also known as the “4 Clasicos” period. The first game in the league was a crucial game for the title race, and it took place on April 16th, 2011. The teams drew 1-1, and that draw gave Barcelona a slight edge over Real Madrid in the league race, and eventually they won the league. However, at the Copa Del Ray Finals, it was a different story.
Real Madrid beat Barcelona 1-0 with a header of Ronaldo in overtime, which gave them the Spanish Cup after 17 years. And the best was yet to come. The highlight of the teams that season was the Semi Finals of the Champions League. The first game was held in the Bernabeu, Real’s home on the 27th of April 2011. It was very tough and equal game for both teams till two magical moments from the little magician, Lionel Messi.
In the first goal, Ibrahim Afellay crossed a low ball from the right flank to the 5-yard box and Messi pushed the ball to the net. But the second goal was the talk of the game. Messi took the ball 40 meters from the goal of Real Madrid, and passed through five players alone and scored (you just have to see it, because words do not do justice to this goal).
The game ended with a 2-0 lead for Barcelona, which was the one to qualify for the finals, after another 1-1 draw on the second leg. Barcelona will beat Manchester United 3-1 in the Champions League Final and achieve its second title in three years in this competition.
The 2011-2012 season in Spain as always started with the Spanish Super Cup, and in this season, it was again the El Clasico. Two close games and aggregate result of 5-4 to Barcelona secured them another title over Real, but unlike the previous season, it marked a change.
Barcelona and Madrid met another four times throughout the season. Twice in the Copa del Rey quarter finals, and twice in the league. Barcelona beat Real twice in the Spanish Cup (5-2 on aggregate), while in the league each team beat the other once. At the end of the season Real Madrid clinched the Spanish league title with a record of 100 points, breaking the dominance of Barcelona in Spain.
Pep decided to quit coaching at the end of this season, and the next time both Guardiola and Mourinho met was in the UEFA Super Cup of 2013. That was Pep’s first official game as the head coach of Bayern Munich, meanwhile Jose returned to Chelsea after almost a decade. It was a highly active and eventful game that ended with the score of 2-2. Pep’s Bayern managed to beat Chelsea in penalties and lift Pep’s first title with the German side.
The last chapter of this infamous rivalry was written in England. In 2016, both coaches were hired to coach the Manchester teams. Pep signed with Manchester City and Jose signed with Manchester United. During their time in Premier League the two sides met six times under the guidance of the two coaches. Pep and City beat Mourinho and United three times, while United won in two games out of six, and the two drew once.
The last two encounters between the two coaches took place when Mourinho coached Tottenham Hotspur in 2020. Mourinho’s side was the victorious side, beating Manchester City twice, 2-0. Even though the two coaches stayed at the top of the coaching world in the Premier League, their last chapter was less intense than their period in Spain, and there is a simple explanation to that.
“In a situation like this (Spain), individual fights make sense because they can influence things. (But) in the Premier League, if I focus on him and Manchester City, and he on me and Manchester United, someone else is going to win the league”.
Mourinho basically tried to say that in Spain the competition is much smaller in comparison to the Premier League. Their individual battles were the games that decided who will win the title since Barcelona and Real were the best and biggest clubs in Spain. However, in England it is more of a marathon. You have a lot of teams that can take a championship in a given year and focusing on one opponent simply will not help you win titles.
Even though Pep and Jose met each other in the most heated games there are in the European Football world, like the derby of Manchester and the El Clasico, their rivalry was not only about the status or the prestigious encounters, but also about the tactical and philosophical approaches to football. The two coaches had a very different views on how players should be trained, and games should be played and won. These differences were what made the encounters between them so much more exciting, and their rivalry so much more intense.
Pep Guardiola is known for his possession and high-pressure game. His philosophy relies on Johan Cruyff’s total football, who was Pep’s mentor when he was coaching him in Barcelona. But Pep took the Total Football one step further and revolutionized it. The emphasis of Pep’s philosophy was on several things. Pep incorporated the hybrid pressure system which combined elements of intense pressing in the opposition’s half, and a secure defensive block when out of possession.
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By that he forced turnovers from the opponent’s teams, and regained possession quickly, all while maintaining a defensive structure. Guardiola’s defensive tactics focused on cutting passing lanes, and applying pressure on the opposition’s ball carriers. Another concept that Guardiola’s teams all have in common is the idea of building from the back. Pep wanted to start his attacks from the goalkeeper and the defense, and not just kicking the ball for the sake of it, emphasizing the idea of possession in his tactics.
Under his philosophy goalkeepers are another extra player that participate in the build of the game rather than just saviors. That idea of possessing the ball evolved during Guardiola’s time in Barcelona, and given the nickname of the “Tiki-Taka”. The “Tiki-Taka” highlights the idea of holding the ball in your teams legs, and by that achieving two things: tiring the opponents and penetrating their defense at their weakest moments, and avoiding the opponent’s attack from getting the ball.
In order to achieve these goals Pep used two tactics that were less common at the time; the False Nine and full backs in attack. The False Nine striker was a special striker tactic in which the striker dropped back into the midfield. This strategy confused the defenders and opened space for midfielders and wingers to take advantage.
Their movement between lines helped link play and caused trouble for the other team’s defense. Pep also used the full backs as midfielders in order to create overloads and numerical superiority. That in turn created space for the team and gave midfielders additional passing options to create chances for goals.
These types of tactics required a very specific type of players that have spatial awareness, decision-making abilities, and can control the ball under pressure. Therefore, throughout his career, his teams were built around his tactics and system rather than the existing squad, and that required the teams he came to coach pay money to acquire such players that will fit his ideas.
In contrast, Jose Mourinho is more known for his pragmatic and adaptive approach to football, meaning that he relies more on the existing material of the team and minimal acquisition, while building around them. Yet there were some principles that Mourinho emphasized in every team he comes to. Firstly, Mourinho demanded tactical discipline all over the pitch, and highlighted defensive discipline.
Earlier in his career, especially in Porto, Chelsea, and Inter, Mourinho’s tactics were synonyms with “Parking the Bus” tactics, meaning that he will play all of his players in his own half, with an aggressive defense, just so the other team will not score. But thinking so is wrong, because there were deeper purposes behind Mourinho’s tactics. His teams placed emphasis on defensive organization, tight formations and organized pressing – making them hard to beat.
They would soak up pressure and burst forward with swift counterattacks. The defense was used to neutralize the opposition’s strengths and taking advantage of their weaknesses. His sides often used an imposing target man and wingers who take advantage of space created by attacking sides, so transitions were deadly, creating a highly effective system of football that required resilience and patience to be successful.
Mourinho’s tactics were also accompanied by psychological methods, to encourage his players’ mental success. This idea of combining psychology with football, Mourinho borrowed from Tactical Periodization training methodology. At its core, the method implies that the game of football is made of many different aspects such as the physical, the mental, and others, each of which impacts the game and the players. The coach in turn must train the team through all of these aspects and create one team “where in a certain moment, faced with a certain situation, all of the players think in the same way”.
The tactics of the two coaches endorsed a lot of success throughout their careers, yet even in their success they are different. On one hand, Pep Guardiola only coached three teams from 2009 to now; Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City. All three teams were established, known, successful, and financially stable before Pep arrived at these clubs, and yet he managed to take them one step forward.
Some of his unique achievements include never finishing outside of the top three in any league. He also won the Champions League twice with Barcelona, and completed a perfect season with them, winning every possible title a team can win in one season (the Sextuple) in 2009.
During his time in Germany with Bayern he won two cups and three consecutive championships. Lastly, with Manchester City he won six championships, including four in a row, from 2020-2024, which represented the longest streak of championships ever in the Premier League, and breaking the league record for the highest points achieved in one season with 100 points in 2017/18 season.
On the other hand, you have Jose Mourinho, who has more of a short-term success, but who achieved this success with struggling teams or small teams at the time of his arrival. For example, in the years 2002-2004, Mourinho’s Porto was one of the best teams in Europe, while having a small budget and unknown squad. They beat the giants of Europe, while regaining domestic dominance that led them to a rare minor treble in 2002/03 season, and a Champions League title in 2003/04.
What makes this achievement even more legendary is the fact that this Porto team was the last to be crowned European Champions outside of the top five leagues in Europe. During his time in Chelsea, the team won two consecutive league titles. Mourinho guided the team to their first Premier League title in 50 years. In the 2004/05 season, he did so while only conceding 15 goals in one season, marking the best defensive team in history in the top five leagues.
Mourinho achieved a Treble and another Serie A title, making Inter Milan the only Italian team to achieve this feat. Lastly under his role, AC Roma, a team that never experienced European glory, had won the Conference league in 2021/22 season. This achievement made Mourinho the only coach to win every European trophy as a head coach.
And yet with all of their success, both Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola encountered a lot of criticism for their style of football, decision making and their off-field persona. Pep Guardiola was mainly criticized for his on-field decisions regarding tactics and his relationship with his players.
While his tactics made him one of the most successful coaches of this generation, some players and colleagues expressed their concerns regarding the long-term impact of his tactics on football. Zlatan Ibrahimovic’, his former player, once said “[Guardiola] doesn’t want personalities, he wants obedient schoolboys”, referring to his time in Barcelona, where his talent was “sacrificed” for the system.
His flair of the game disappeared and replaced by obedience to Guardiola system of play, and his systematic approach for the game and obsession for possessing the ball. Other similar cases such as Zlatan’s are Samuel Eto’o and Yaya Toure in Barcelona, and Jack Grealish in Manchester city. All of this players were known for their flair and beautiful game, which disappeared under Guardiola’s role in the teams they played.
Guardiola would often try to get rid of this type of players or bench them in order to teach them to be obedient to his tactics. Therefore, causing a lot of clashes with his ex-players and hatred from their behalf. Another critique, but rather about Guardiola’s tactics, came from Giorgio Chiellini, a former Italian defender, suggesting that Guardiola’s defensive tactics harm the way defenders play in the modern era.
He claimed that Guardiola’s requirements for technical abilities in defenders harmed their abilities to man mark strikers, making them put more attention towards passes and building up the game, rather than focusing on defending. In addition, Pep was criticized for his decision making in big games.
In many cases, Guardiola was criticized for experimenting with his tactics at the wrong moments, like in the 2021 Champions League Final against Chelsea, where he played without a defensive midfielder, or more recently in the 2025 FA cup Final against Crystal Palace, where he decided to play with two advanced midfielders, exposing his team to counterattacks that led to eventual losses.
His tactics were judge for being too predictable, overcomplicated at times and too systemic, sacrificing the beauty of football for the success of the team by obsession with possession of the ball and lack of pragmatism in his game. Unlike Pep, Jose Mourinho was mainly criticized for his off-pitch persona, even by Guardiola himself who was quoted saying “I am trying to learn as much from Jose on the pitch, and as little from him off the pitch.”
Jose Mourinho is famously known for his spectacular interviews before and after games, and his famous clashes with other coaches, referees, and players. This type of behavior often led to toxic dressing rooms (Real Madrid and Manchester United are examples for that), and early dismissals, failing to create long-lasting projects and long-term success with one team over a long period of time.
In addition to that, Mourinho would often blame the referees, players, and even management for poor results or bad seasons rather than taking the blame on himself, and putting himself as the point of attention by running the show. Some notable rivalries Jose had were with Arsene Wanger during his first spell in Chelsea, and his famous fight with Mesut Ozil about his girlfriend.
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Moreover, Jose’s football style was not absent critiques. In many cases, and especially with underdog teams or big games, Mourinho was criticized for “Parking the Bus”, and even though there was a deeper meaning to his tactics, his reactive, rather than active style of football, was boring at times and hard to watch since very rarely something would happen. This type of tactics would also harm attacking players’ development under his spell, like in the cases of Kevin De Bruyne and Mohammed Salah, because they could not express their true abilities in an environment that limited them to play defensively.
Even with all the critics mentioned above and others, Pep and Jose are still the most known and successful football coaches of this era, and not only because of their achievements, but also their influence on the future of football. Pep’s tactics for example are implemented all over Europe, but also used for international football.
His tactics helped the Spain national team, which was mainly consist of Barcelona players, achieve their first World Cup in 2010, and another Euro Championships in 2012. Germany’s 2014 squad, and England’s squads in the 2020’s was also influenced by Guardiola’s tactics, and helped these teams achieve a World Cup title for Germany, and two Euro finals appearances for England.
In addition, we now see a lot of coaches that use Pep’s tactics, like Mikel Arteta with Arsenal, Vincent Kompany with Bayern Munich, Xavi with Barcelona, and Roberto De Zerbi in Brighton, and manage to lead their team to new heights, spreading out “Guardiolismo” to new places. Meanwhile, Mourinho school of thought is also spreading, yet less notably, with coaches like Diego Simone in Atletico Madrid, Paulo Fonseca and Nuno Espírito Santo.
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Even though his philosophy did not influence nations, or had a long lasting impact, he will forever be known as the small teams and underdogs last hope, for all the titles and achievements he concurred with them at their moments of struggle and hopelessness.
The legacy of Pep and Jose both on and off the pitch, combined with their intense rivalry at the highest peaks of the European football world, are what we will remember from them for the years to come. In the end, this wasn’t just a rivalry. It was a referendum on what football should be. Two men, two minds, shaping a generation. Guardiola the idealist, Mourinho the realist. Possession versus power. Order versus chaos. System versus soul. Jose versus Josep.
By: Ronen Bangiev
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Tottenham Hotspur FC