Chelsea’s pivotal clash that made Pep Guardiola to receive praise from his rival

Before and after Chelsea’s pivotal recent clash with Manchester City, there was little indication of a burgeoning rivalry. In the pre- and post-match comments made by the managers, the overarching feeling was one of pure professionalism and respect, even admiration.

 “My opinion about my colleague Antonio Conte is that he’s superb He’s an excellent manager, I learn a lot when I see his teams…Maybe he’s the best,” said Pep Guardiola in the build-up to the heavily anticipated match.


Chelsea won 2-1 to extend their lead and essentially put Manchester City out of the title race but, far from gloating, Conte had nothing but kind words for his defeated rival.

“We must be pleased because we beat a strong team, the best team in the league,” the Italian said. “I think they have a great coach, the best in the world."

Conte and Guardiola’s love couldn’t be further from Premier League tradition. For much of the league’s history, title races have not simply been defined by matches between teams and moments of brilliance by players, but by managerial back-and-forth.


Kevin Keegan’s “I will love it if we beat them” was seen as integral to the narrative as his Newcastle fell away in 1995-96, ceding first place to Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United.

 Ferguson then found a new rival in Arsene Wenger when the Frenchman took charge at Arsenal in 1996. Wenger suggested the FA’s scheduling of fixtures favoured Manchester United; Ferguson responded by stating that Wenger is a novice and he should keep his opinions to Japanese football.

When the Arsenal/Manchester United enmity fell away, Jose Mourinho filled the void upon his arrival at Chelsea in 2004, dubbing himself ‘The Special One’ and engaging in wars of words with various managerial competitors.

Back then, mind games meant getting one over the opposing manager in some way, whether by questioning their record or through more direct criticism. Today’s Premier League is still defined by mind games, but the meaning of ‘mind game’ appears to have changed. Conte and Guardiola respect one another for their accomplishments as tacticians and coaches.


Conte has watched Guardiola re-popularise the false nine and experiment with inverted full-backs; Guardiola has taken note of Conte’s reprisal of the inside forward.


They are innovators and analysts, meticulous strategists re-defining what the role of manager means to their audience. Where before Ferguson and Keegan and Wenger and Mourinho were full-time managers and part-time psychologists, Guardiola and Conte have reminded the Premier League of what top-level football is truly built on.


Eschewing barbs in favour of compliments, the conventional signs of a rivalry may not be overtly present. However, their meetings will always be mind games in the sense that each clash represents another opportunity to showcase their ability to out-think one another.


 Football is a game played on a pitch. The pitch is where the game is won and lost, yet for so long this has not been emphasised in the Premier League. Personality-driven plots and underhanded comments dominated previous managerial rivalries, but this is no longer the case.

Finally, thanks to Guardiola and Conte, the focus is not on the pre- or the post-match press conferences, but what happens in between.