Pep Guardiola won his first battle against a Manchester United boss from Portugal… now it’s time to do it all again
The longevity meant that the full circle would inevitably come at some point and Pep Guardiola now finds himself exactly as he did when he landed in Manchester: opposite the leading Portuguese coach of a generation.
And this one might even outlive him. It would take something spectacular for Ruben Amorim not to pull that off, but then this is Manchester United, where even the surest bets quickly escalate into blind odds on black or red.
Guardiola has said goodbye to three permanent United managers during his time at Manchester City. After Jose Mourinho there was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and now Erik ten Hag. Throw in Ralf Rangnick for good measure.
Mourinho’s bite and snarl got under Guardiola’s skin as they jousted in Spain, but an uneasy truce in England meant the sideshow was largely quashed. And when it comes to pure football, there is only one winner.
It is a shame that Mourinho only stayed at Old Trafford for two years, because the uncomfortable tension would have eventually been broken. And while Solskjaer dealt City a few blows, they often arrived too late to matter fundamentally.
Pep Guardiola has already given away three permanent Man United managers during his time at Man City
Despite their rivalry in Spain, a lack of competitiveness on the pitch saw him comfortably beat former United boss Jose Mourinho
But the arrival of Ruben Amorim promises to breathe new life into a United team that so desperately needs it
But Amorim is seen as the right coach to take on a challenge and is close to City’s next director of football Hugo Viana in a way that will cause intrigue around relations between the two clubs. City’s Bernardo Silva was complimentary of the impact Amorim had in Lisbon, describing Sporting last night as a ‘big machine at the moment’.
Tuesday’s Champions League meeting may not offer any insight into who has whose number, although the way Amorim reacts to any result – positive or negative – could set the tone for what will follow in the coming months. After all, in just over a month the managers will meet again at the Etihad Stadium.
“Pep is the best coach in the world,” Amorim said. ‘I know it’s difficult for United fans and I think City are the best team in the world.
‘Every player is world class, it’s always very difficult to predict what will happen. We must be brave. I am a better coach than before. I think Pep is an even better coach. Today I have better players.’
Amorim looked back on City’s last visit to the Portuguese capital two and a half years ago, beating the hosts 5-0. Ex-Benfica midfielder Silva particularly enjoyed his brace and excited the home crowd. Guardiola then left while calling Sporting’s Matheus Nunes. – now at City – one of the best players in the world.
Many in Lisbon thought City would poach both their manager and sporting director Viana, who has been appointed successor to Txiki Begiristain at the Etihad.
Viana will not be allowed to enter Sporting’s dressing room on Tuesday, a ban imposed by Amorim before he accepted the job at Old Trafford. Silva laughed that he couldn’t possibly wish Amorim well and that he wants to settle scores with his mother and best friends – all Sporting supporters – when he returns to the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
“We are always stronger with a full team,” Silva said. ‘That cannot be denied. There are incredible players missing. But I don’t like making excuses either. This club was never about that. Kevin (De Bruyne) was injured for six or seven months and we won the league. We have always succeeded. Perform well individually and do your job. There are no excuses.’
Bernardo heaped praise on his compatriot as he prepared to take charge of Sporting Lisbon for the final time at the Estadio Jose Alvalade
However, City will still be without a number of key players after an injury-plagued start to the season
What Silva is referring to is the difficult weeks the Premier League champions have faced. The injury problems are so deep that Guardiola is asking for some play due to the pain, a key message sent to his side’s senior players before Saturday’s surprise Premier League defeat to Bournemouth.
Only three players – John Stones, Ruben Dias and Jack Grealish – have stayed home through injury, but there are many more who are on the wrong side of being fully fit. De Bruyne only went for a leisurely jog along the sidelines once this weekend; Kyle Walker came in out of nowhere and it was clear he hadn’t been there for a month.
Regardless, Guardiola came out swinging with what he considers unfair criticism of performance. “I know our standards, right?” he said. ‘I know our standards. We lost one game in the Premier League.’