Will Jose Mourinho’s Premier League experience help him one up Pep Guardiola?

After the news that Pep Guardiola was going to Manchester City, many fans of the Premier League predicted that this would spell the end of Manchester United’s fading dominance once and for all.

United had ruled Manchester for many years and while City were labelled as the ‘noisy neighbours’ by Sir Alex Ferguson, there was never as much commotion as when Pep signed.

Bringing Guardiola in was City’s way of saying that they’d finally give United one last nudge out of the spotlight for good, especially with United having been on a downward spiral for the past three years. Notably, City pipped United to 4th place and a Champions League spot last season. Nothing could have been more symbolic, particularly because United were still stuck with Louis Van Gaal.

United fans were pleased not only because they got a world class manager, but also because Mourinho is recognised as the ‘anti-Pep’

Yet when Jose Mourinho signed up at Old Trafford many United fans were pleased not only because they got a world class manager, but also because Mourinho is recognised as the ‘anti-Pep’. Most people regard Guardiola as the best manager in the world currently, but during their years at Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, it became clear that the closest to him was Mourinho, and that he was the only coach who could consistently get under Barcelona and Pep’s skins, while also getting respectable results against them.

Mourinho initially broke Barcelona’s dominance over the league title by winning it with a record of 100 points- one point higher than Barcelona’s previous 99 point record. The question, then is will Jose Mourinho’s Premier League experience help him one up Pep and City? Does Premier League experience even matter that much? And lastly, how come everyone is saying that Pep’s tactics need time to deliver results, but Mourinho’s impact is expected to be instant?

In regards to the first question, this Premier League season is shaping up to arguably be the most competitive in recent times, with top players and managers across the league, due to an influx of money. This season fans will be blessed with coaches like Klopp, Conte, Koeman, Pochettino and other talents. Since this is the case, will Premier League experience be as significant a factor as tactical knowledge?

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Of course this isn’t the only factor to win titles, otherwise Wenger would’ve been winning them since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, but it certainly is an advantage over rivals. If we ignore title chances and simply focus on the head to head results between the Manchester clubs as well as the clubs final league position, is Premier League experience enough of an advantage for Mourinho or will it not matter at all?

While many will argue it is important, Mourinho himself would know more than anyone that it isn’t always a telling factor, having won the league title with Chelsea in his first season in charge. So if Mourinho can do it why can’t Pep? Of course it’s also down to the players at their respective clubs to perform and deliver results, but it seems nowadays- when margins are so slim- that any slight advantage over a rival club can be significant.

Only time will tell whether Mourinho’s Premier League experience will come in handy against Pep and whether Pep’s naivety in the league will show or not. When Mourinho won the league in his first season in charge, he would probably argue himself that it wasn’t as competitive as it is now.

Let’s go back to why people are ready to give Pep time but expect instant results with Mourinho- is it because of his reputation? If so, why doesn’t Pep have this reputation too? He’s won titles in his first seasons in charge as well yet the pressure placed on Mourinho to deliver instantly is far greater. Many view Mourinho’s tactics as relatively simpler in comparison to Pep and therefore the Spaniard should be afforded more time to work with his ‘degraded’ squad despite it being one of the strongest in the league.

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If complex tactics deserve more time then why was Van Gaal also expected to deliver results instantly despite mentioning, just as Pep did, that his tactics need time to work? It’s tempting to say that the pressure is simply greater in the red side of Manchester than it is in the blue due to a larger fan base who all have high expectations. It may also be due to neutral fans tendency to dislike Mourinho for his abrasive and controversial character.

While Mourinho’s previous instant success has ended up as a double edged sword, the same cannot be said of Pep. It appears criticism has been directed towards United rather than City.

Paul Pogba’s arrival has sparked controversy among football fans, with United and Mourinho accused of throwing money at their problems despite Pep and City having spent far more not only in this transfer window but in every transfer window since City were bought by Sheikh Mansour.

The double standards have been incredible. All of these factors can be telling when the season comes to a close and either Pep’s lack of Premier League experience will get exposed or the theory of its relevancy will.