Guardiola vs. Pochettino: A Spiteful Grudge Match to Rival Mourinho vs. Wenger
When Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino meet on the sidelines of the Etihad Stadium, any smiles exchanged between them will be as fake as a politician’s promise. Behind their seemingly friendly greetings, there is an underlying tension that rivals the infamous spat between Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger.
Both Guardiola and Pochettino come from Barcelona and share a heritage in the city. They are both known for their devotion to attacking football and have faced numerous mutual rivals throughout their careers. However, their relationship is far from amicable.
In the light blue corner is Guardiola, a spiky genius who takes any criticism personally. On the other side, in the dark blue corner, is Pochettino, who harbors a growing antagonism towards Guardiola, whom he believes was unfairly gifted success.
This grudge match has been playing out on English territory for over half a decade, intensifying with each passing season. The rivalry between these two managers is deeply personal, stemming from their time in Barcelona.
In 2008, when Barcelona was searching for a successor to Frank Rijkaard, Guardiola and Mourinho were obvious candidates. Guardiola, a Barcelona legend, had emerged from the club’s academy and Mourinho had achieved success at Porto and Chelsea. However, Pochettino, despite having recently ended his playing career at Espanyol, was overlooked for the managerial position due to his lack of experience.
This snub deeply affected Pochettino, leading him to repeatedly insist that he could never manage Barcelona. As Guardiola’s debut season as manager unfolded, Pochettino’s frustration grew. He believed that Guardiola’s success was solely due to having talented players like Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry, and Samuel Eto’o in his team.
Pochettino’s resentment continued to fester as he moved to England, first managing Southampton and then Tottenham Hotspur. However, it burst into life when Guardiola became the manager of Manchester City in 2016. Initially, Pochettino had the upper hand, with Spurs finishing higher in the league than City.
The sniping between the two managers escalated when Guardiola referred to Spurs as “the Harry Kane team.” Pochettino saw this comment as disrespectful and fired back, accusing Guardiola of struggling to keep his position and lacking humility. Although Guardiola apologized, their feud continued behind the scenes.
Both managers struggle to hide their disdain for each other and revel in any misfortune that befalls their rival. Even in victory, Pochettino took offense when reporters asked questions about Guardiola after Spurs’ Champions League win over City in 2019.
After Pochettino’s departure from Spurs, Guardiola dominated the Premier League and finally won the Champions League. However, Pochettino’s return as a manager reignited their rivalry. Pochettino failed to shake Guardiola’s hand after a draw between Chelsea and City, claiming he hadn’t seen him.
Now, they face each other again at the Etihad Stadium. All eyes will be on their interactions and what they say about each other, or perhaps what they don’t say. This grudge match between Guardiola and Pochettino is one that rivals the intense rivalry between Mourinho and Wenger, and it shows no signs of dissipating anytime soon.