Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka has revealed his belief that Jose Mourinho is a better manager than Pep Guardiola, but his timing probably could have been better.
The Spaniard is tasked with figuring out a way of dumping City out of the FA Cup on Saturday, and if Guardiola needed a pre-match pep talk, he’s got one specially written for him.
It’s worth noting that Karanka hasn’t been on great terms with the former Barcelona boss in the past as they have clashed on numerous occasions when they were both still plying their trade in La Liga.
As Mourinho’s number two at Real Madrid, it’s also worth remembering that he’s bound to side with his former boss but that still doesn’t prevent his comments from making the headlines.
“Is Pep the best coach in the world? No. The best coach in the world is Jose Mourinho,” he is quoted as saying by The Mirror. “He has shown it during his career at Porto, at Inter Milan, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United.
“He was the best in Spain, and he still is the best.
“Jose started this season with some criticism, but he has already won a trophy for United. Jose is the best for me.”
Karanka went on to add that if Guardiola were to win the Premier League, then that would him to be one of the “best ever”, but time will tell if the 46-year-old will reach that objective.
In fairness, you could raise question marks over both Mourinho and Guardiola over the course of their careers, not that they don’t both deserve plenty of respect and credit too.
From Mourinho’s stint at Inter when they were the dominant figure in Italian football to Guardiola’s decision to take over at Bayern Munich, a club with the minimum expectation of winning the Bundesliga every year, they’ve both made strategic moves in their respective careers.
However, the debate will rage on over who is better as Mourinho’s Champions League triumphs with Porto and Inter to Guardiola’s dominance and beautiful football at Barca, they have certainly made a lasting mark on the game.