Guardiola has whip hand over Mourinho yet again FINAL STANDINGS
LONDON (Reuters) – Pep Guardiola will be able to sit back and watch Saturday’s FA Cup final with a satisfied smile – if not smirk – on his face, knowing that for the second time in two seasons of English soccer he has outdone his old adversary Jose Mourinho.
If Manchester United beat his old club Chelsea at Wembley, Mourinho will no doubt talk up his achievement in following last season’s Europa League success with another trophy, as well as lifting United to second place in the Premier League, its best finish since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
Yet by setting more than half a dozen new Premier League records in Manchester City’s dominant campaign and after finishing nine points ahead a year ago, Guardiola has undeniably again left Mourinho in the shade.
In their two seasons together in England, relations have been more restrained than the occasional immoderacy that characterized their time as respective managers of Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Those were the days when, for instance, Mourinho poked Guardiola’s assistant Tito Vilanova in the eye during a Spanish Super Cup game and goaded the normally mild-mannered Catalonian into a rare and obscene outburst in the Madrid press room.
This season’s row after United felt its neighbor celebrated too raucously following a 2-1 win at Old Trafford in December was mild in comparison. Premier League GPWDLF AP ts ^Man City 38 32 4 2 106 27 100 Man United 38 25 6 7 68 28 81 Tottenham 38 23 8 7 74 36 77 Liverpool 38 22 12 5 84 38 75 Chelsea 38 21 7 10 62 38 70 Arsenal 38 19 6 13 74 51 63 Burnley 38 14 12 13 36 39 54 Everton 38 13 10 15 44 58 49 Leicester 38 12 11 15 56 60 47 Newcastle 38 12 8 18 39 47 44 Crystal Palace 38 11 11 16 45 55 44 Bournemouth 38 11 11 16 45 61 44 West Ham 38 10 12 16 48 68 42 Watford 38 11 8 19 44 64 41 Brighton&Hove 38 9 13 16 34 54 40 Huddersfield 38 9 10 19 28 58 37 Southampton 38 7 15 16 37 56 36 *Swansea 38 8 9 21 28 56 33 *Stoke 38 7 12 19 35 68 33 *WestBromwich 38 6 13 19 31 56 31 ^champion *relegated
That was the 20th direct meeting between the two managers, giving Guardiola a 10th win with six draws, although Mourinho did delay City’s title celebrations when United hit back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 an extraordinary return game last month.
It was only a minor triumph in the context of a season in which City finished a record 19 points clear of the runner-up.
Seeing United walk around Wembley with the FA Cup – if, indeed that happens – will not alter that statistic nor wipe the smile off Guardiola’s face.