Many football fans will have fond memories of Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho doing battle with Barcelona and Real Madrid a few years ago. The two had a rivalry that was almost as fierce as that between the clubs themselves. There was the famous eye gouging incident when Jose thrust his thumb into the eye of Pep’s Assistant, the late Tito Vilanova. Guardiola’s men were dominant to begin with, winning 5-0 in the 2010 El Clasico, but Jose got revenge by eventually winning the league title and beating Barcelona in the 2011 Copa Del Ray Final.
Thanks to last night’s victory for Manchester City, couple with Spurs’ win the night before, Pep and Jose will have the chance to do battle in a cup final for the first time since that dramatic clash in 2011.
Manchester City have some incredible players and have found their mojo again. Meanwhile, Spurs have some outstanding talent with the likes of Son and Kane. It’s almost a carbon copy of the manager’s time in Spain.
That memorable 2011 Copa Del Ray final featured two of the most star studded teams that you are ever likely to see sharing a pitch:
Madrid – Casillas, Marcelo, Arbeloa, Ramos, Carvalho, Alonso, Pepe, Khedira, Di Maria, Ozil, Ronaldo
Barcelona – Pinto, Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Adriano, Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Pedro, Villa Messi
It was a typically tough match, with Pep’s team on the attack and Jose sitting deep. The game was drawn 0-0, then almost 15 minutes into extra time, Ronaldo won the game and handed Jose the cup.
The upcoming League Cup final will be evenly matched. City will be slight favourites, but both teams have quality and both have managers who know how to win. It should be fascinating to watch.