Page 159 - Pep Guardiola: Another Way of Winning: The Biography

Although the Portuguese coach claims to challenge himself more than he does others (‘I always try
and set my sights on difficult goals so that I am always competing with myself’), the following quote
about his controversial take on rivalries gives an interesting insight into his working philosophy:
‘Having enemies in order to give your all isn’t necessary, but it is better. Especially when you’re

enjoying a lot of success and you tend to relax.’
So the ongoing battles between these two great sporting institutions eventually boiled down to this
clash of personalities, this fight between their respective coaches. Such was the media presence of
Guardiola and Mourinho, the teams almost played second fiddle to their leaders, becoming known as
‘Guardiola’s team’ or ‘Mourinho’s team’. The sides began to lose their own identities in the midst of
the duel, much like what has happened in the technological battle between BlackBerry and iPhone –
the products have devoured their brands: Rim and Apple. The leading roles of the coaches gave the

coaches themselves (the products) the victories, more so than the clubs (the brands).
And, to the casual onlooker, both of them developed a footballing project that was antagonistic.
Pep Guardiola surrounded himself with players from the youth team who shared the same values:
emphasis placed on good passing, teamwork, good behaviour on and off the pitch, as well as some
signings that understood the philosophy. As Eto’o and Ibrahimović discovered, those who didn’t
share his vision of the world and of football were soon moved on.

The Portuguese coach led a team of individuals whose loyalty to their manager was unconditional
– they were prepared to give their life for him and in the name of victory. Anyone who doubted him
was swiftly brushed aside. Madrid’s traditionally vigorous style of play became aggressive, even
violent, on occasions. Madrid were capable of humiliating rivals, they had an insatiable hunger to
win and it was visible for all to see exactly how much they enjoyed doing so.
For Mourinho, press conferences were like a theatre in which he really got into character and
revelled in the attention. He would claim that Real Madrid were the victims of complex conspiracy

theories at the hands of the referees, FIFA, the Spanish government and even UNICEF. For him,
victories were to be expected as he believed it was what the team deserved, whereas the various
defeats and draws were always treated with suspicion and with accusations of foul play. He would
defend to the hilt his players’ often aggressive behaviour but he would cry blue murder at similar
conduct of his opponents against his team.
Whether he likes it or not, Pep has become a standard-bearer for good values, in a world in which

there is a distinct lack of them. Mourinho is more of a product of our society, a preacher of a modern
way of thinking, who doesn’t shy away from conflict and arguing with those in authority, always
seeking explanations and making claims about conspiracy theories. His teams win because they do
things right; they lose because someone or something has not let them win.
If Pep’s greatest virtue is his sense of caution, then Mourinho’s is pure excess. The Portuguese
prefers to massage his players’ egos and point them in the direction of achieving good results; even
Mourinho himself has defined himself as a ‘manager of egos’. Guardiola bases his methods on

developing his players’ confidence through opportunities, motivation.
Their individual styles of leadership reflect their personalities. Mourinho defends and enjoys his
nickname ‘the Special One’ – he feels he is different from the rest and makes sure that nobody
remains indifferent to him; they either love him or loathe him. Including his players, who are all
aware that there are consequences to their behaviour because Mourinho operates a system of praise
and punishment. Perhaps that gives José less trajectory in a club than a team coached by Pep – it is

very hard to deal with constant pressure. Pep prefers to appeal to the players’ individual emotions in
order to generate a feeling of belonging to the group.