Newly unveiled Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has claimed that Jose Mourinho has helped him to take his coaching ‘reach another level’.
The two high-profile football managers are set to renew their fierce rivalry as both arrive in England to take charge of local rivals of Manchester.
Pep Guardiola’s appointment at Man City was announced before the end of last campaign while Jose Mourinho was named Louis van Gaal’s successor last month after Man Utd’s two dismal seasons under the Dutch coach.
The famous managerial duo were previously engaged in ruthless conflicts in Spain’s biggest football rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid which turned ugly on more than one occasion.
However, the Spaniard insists that he is relishing the prospect of renewing his ferocious encounters with the former Real Madrid and Chelsea coach.
Guardiola said in his first press conference as Man City boss: “I think José said it pretty well that it is not about him or me. What I saw from the distance is it so tough to win the games here. We played many times against each other.
“I can say, they help me, the big coaches, and José is one of them, they help me to reach another level.
“My experience against him, against [Liverpool’s] Jürgen Klopp at Dortmund, a lot of coaches in Germany and Spain they made me better. All the managers in the world want to win and we are going to try and win as well.”
Mourinho and Guardiola will go head-to-head for the first time in the Premier League on October 10 with Man Utd set to host Man City at Old Trafford on game-week four.
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