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Pep Guardiola – Jose Mourinho
Two of the most acclaimed managers in modern football will renew their rivalry in the Premier League this season. The Manchester United boss will have an upper hand owing to his extensive working experience in English football, while Guardiola might take some time to settle in the fast-paced league.
However, there can be no doubt that on the pitch there will be ferocious tactical battle with each manager trying to outdo the other. If the battle between the two managers, who have been at the loggerheads in the past, remains confined to the pitch so much the better.
Jose Mourinho – Arsene Wenger
The disdain that Mourinho has for the Arsenal is no secret. The Portuguese has called the Frenchman a specialist in failure, owing to his failure to add a Premier League crown since the historic triumph of the Invincibles in 2004.
The gauntlet has already been thrown for the upcoming season with Wenger criticising the huge price Manchester United paid for Paul Pogba, and Mourinho, as is his wont, responded in kind. The battle between the two even became physical once, something they should look to avoid.
Jurgen Klopp – Pep Guardiola
The two have locked horns previously in the Bundesliga and will now renew their fascinating tactical battles in the Premier League. In Germany, Guardiola had the better resources at Bayern Munich than his Borussia Dortmund counterpart and things are not too different at their English clubs.
However, Klopp has a season of English football under his belt and his Liverpool showed considerable improvement as the season progressed. Now with a full pre-season under his belt and a number of new arrivals, things should only look upwards at Anfield. It should be fascinating clashes between two of the most attack-minded managers in business.
Jose Mourinho – Antonio Conte
No one expected much from the Italian national team at the recent European Championship but Conte transformed them into a fearsome force despite the lack of any definitive star names. And that is where lies his strength: the astute management that gets the best out of any player.
On the other hand, Mourinho is known to put his faith in big names – and several have already made their way to Old Trafford already this summer. One thing remains common, though, and that is their firm belief in having a strong defence. How they plot to score goals against each other should be intriguing.
Antonio Conte – Pep Guardiola
The two managers will be facing each other for the first time this season. Conte has taken the Chelsea job after superlative three seasons at Juventus and then a two–year stint at the Italian national team.
Now Conte is back in club management and that too in the ultra-competitive Premier League, especially at a time when most teams are stacked with quality both on the pitch and on the touchline. The hugely passionate and quality managers seemingly stand on different sides of attack versus defence debate. Their battle should be fascinating.
Wasi is a keen fan with loads of knowledge about the game. He has written for some of the world’s leading soccer websites and is a major Barcelona and Pune City FC fan. He loves the Champions League and watches 200+ EPL games & La Liga games per season.