Opinion | Mourinho & Guardiola Rivals Reunited
Mourinho Guardiola Rivals Reunited
Bayern Munich Chelsea prepare for Super Cup show-down.
Two footballing heavyweights are set to meet again this Friday, Mourinho and Guardiola will re-ignite their rivalry but this time it won't be with El Clasico pride at stake. Bayern Munich and Chelsea go head to head in the Super Cup as both managers lock horns in another battle for silverware.
In a rather ironic twist of fate that only football could produce, not only is it role reversal for Jose Mourinho and Rafa Benitez from when the Interim one took over at Inter Milan and had to take Jose s team to the Super Cup, now it is Mourinho who is taking a team Benitez won a European cup with (albeit the more embarrassing one according to Mourinho) to Prague and competing in the Super Cup.
Venue: Prague's Eden Arena will host the match between Chelsea and Bayern Munich
It may come as a shock to believe that Mourinho has not competed in the Super Cup after winning the Champions League - he left Porto and Inter Milan before the games came around for pastures new, although he did lose in the 2003 game to AC Milan after winning the Europa League with Porto. The Super Cup is the only trophy Mourinho has failed to win thus far, and make no mistake he will want to rectify that.
Another intriguing twist of fate brings Chelsea and Bayern Munich together for the first time since the Blues won the Champions League for the first time in their history - at the Allianz Arena after being 1-0 down to Bayern Munich with barley any time left on the clock. Of course this time around, Bayern are even stronger if possible and coming off the back of winning the treble. Not to mention the glaring omission from Chelsea s side - Didier Drogba. Or if the game at Old Trafford is anything to go by, any forward at all.
Bayern have strengthened even more this summer with the likes of Thiago Alcantara and also Mario Gotze, and still have star players including Frank Ribery, who has a brilliant relationship with Jose Mourinho and noted the pair speak frequently. Ribery even quipped Mourinho was after him in the summer, claiming "We often talk, he wanted me to go to Chelsea. We have a good relationship and respect between us. But I want to beat him!"
Chelsea old boy Arjen Robben will also face his former club and will have a point to prove after missing a penalty in extra time back in 2012. Add to that the likes of Juan Mata and Romelu Lukaku probably featuring in the starting line up for Chelsea and having major points to prove, the game is not as dead in the water as many may have thought.
Yes, if you asked both Mourinho and Guardiola to pick between the Super Cup and three points the weekend after in their respective leagues, they would opt for the latter, but as we have seen time and time before when those two managers are involved, nothing is simple and plenty more than a single trophy is on the line.
Bayern Munich manager Guardiola takes training in Prague
Mourinho will be keen to show that Chelsea can go toe to toe with the best in Europe and Pep will be keen to impress, knowing full well he was not the manager who guided Bayern to their historic treble. A show piece game, yes, but a friendly? Not on your life.
