Jose Mourinho or Pep Guardiola: Which One is Better?

Adapted from sports.yahoo.com

After relaxing and lounging in the rich Monaco sun for 15 years, the UEFA Super Cup decided to change venues to Prague in the Czech Republic. All too conveniently, Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola will headline the event and renew the greatest ongoing managerial rivalry in European football.

After a year apart, Mourinho and Guardiola will shake hands and stand five yards apart for 90 minutes. As they stand side-by-side, one cannot help but wonder, "Which of the two talented managers is better?"

In four seasons managing Barcelona's senior team, Guardiola won two Champions Leagues, three La Liga titles, two Copa Del Reys, two UEFA Super Cups, and three Spanish Super Cups, but Mourinho still managed to take the pep out of Guardiola's step and force a year sabbatical.

In his final season with Barcelona, Guardiola failed to win the Champions League, and Mourinho's Real Madrid won the Spanish league. Never mind that Guardiola had still won the Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Spanish Super Cup, and the Copa Del Rey in that season; Mourinho's mental games convinced Guardiola to walk away from his dream job.

Guardiola left, and Barcelona fell ill under Tito Villanova. For Mourinho, the mind games had worked, Guardiola was gone and Madrid had a clear path to victory in Spain. Ironically, Mourinho's success led to his failure as he didn't have Guardiola to focus on anymore. Instead, he began playing his mind games within his own squad - to disastrous effects.

After a failed season, Mourinho left Madrid for a refreshed return to Chelsea Football Club, where the fans accepted his personality with wide smiles. I had the pleasure of personally visiting Stamford Bridge for Chelsea's midweek match against Aston Villa - a game moved up in the schedule to allow Chelsea more rest for Friday's encounter - and the chants, banners and jerseys (see attached images) celebrating the "Special One" were ubiquitous. Even if the match was a bit dull at times, the fans adored and celebrated the return of Mourinho with relentless vocal passion that was reminiscent of a gospel choir in full voice at a Sunday service.

Three years and three semifinal exits in the Champions League with Real Madrid was not special. One Copa Del Rey, one Spanish Super Cup and one Spanish League title in three seasons were not special. Stamford Bridge, however, did not seem bothered by all that. Prior to his arrival at Real Madrid, Mourinho was regarded as the best manager in the world. The Chelsea faithful still saw him as that man.

In his final two seasons with FC Porto, Mourinho won consecutive league titles - his first two league titles as a manager. In 2002-03, he triumphed in the Europa League, won the Portuguese first division and won the Portuguese league cup. The next season, Mourinho won the league again and topped it off with an unlikely Champions League victory.

The "Special One" introduced himself to Stamford Bridge soon after, and the trophies flowed like champagne on Roman Abramovich's yacht.

In his first three seasons in West London, Mourinho collected two Premier League titles, two League Cups, an FA Cup and a Community Shield. After two Champions League semifinal exits in three years with Chelsea, Mourinho left by mutual consent early into his fourth year as manager of the Blues. His squad eventually went on to lose on penalties in a memorable Moscow Champions League final to a crying Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United (John Terry still has nightmares).

The next year, Mourinho arrived in Italy.

With Inter Milan, Mourinho finished top of Serie A both years he was in charge, but Inter had already won the league three consecutive years prior to the Portuguese's arrival. Owner Massimo Moratti wanted to take advantage of a weakened Italian league by winning Europe's biggest prize, and the Portuguese's pedigree promised European glory.

In 2010, Mourinho delivered the Champions League, and he, once again, stood alone at the top of the managerial podium. En route to his second Champions League title, Inter Milan bounced Guardiola's Barcelona, and a managerial move to Real Madrid was awkwardly announced during Inter's Champions League victory speeches.

With the top two managerial talents in European football finally in one league, Guardiola's Barcelona welcomed Mourinho with a memorable 5-0 thrashing. In Mourinho's first Spanish season, Guardiola reclaimed the lead in the personal duel with head-to-head victories in La Liga and in the Champions League semifinal. Winning his second Champions League certainly helped Guardiola's argument, too.

The next season, Mourinho leveled the scales. Despite failing to win any of the first four Clasicos of the season, Mourinho won the final La Liga meeting between Barcelona and Real Madrid, and subsequently, Real Madrid won the Spanish league for the first time since Guardiola had taken over at the Camp Nou: four long years.

Mourinho had won and Guardiola left Barcelona with slumped shoulder on a donkey.

In the year that followed, neither man did anything to improve his standing in the game. Mourinho concluded three paranoid and politically pungent years at Real Madrid without winning the Champions League. Meanwhile, Guardiola moved to New York and spent time with his family for a year.

On Friday, the greatest ongoing managerial rivalry renews in the UEFA Super Cup. To match the new venue, the managers represent new clubs: Mourinho has returned to Chelsea, where he is treated as a god by the supporters; Guardiola is in charge of Bayern Munich, a club that won everything available last season.

Although the true measures of success for both managers will come in the Champions League and in their respective domestic leagues and cups, Friday's contest offers yet another contest between the two best managers in Europe. And, yes, this rivalry is personal. Mourinho or Pep: who you got?