The latest chapter in the feud between Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola took place in an unexpected location this time around. The two managers were participating in a UEFA coaches summit in Switzerland when they exchanged subtle jabs at each other.
The conversation was centered around what the length of grass that all UEFA pitches should be. Guardiola wanted the grass to be cut down from 3cm to 1.5cm and he wanted it to watered before every match. The shorter grass and watered pitch is better for the slick passing game that Guardiola prefers his teams to play.
Of course Jose Mourinho would have a little something to say about that. He preferred the length of grass as is and many assumed it is because that longer grass would slow down the matches and decrease passing, something Jose Mourinho has shown he prefers.
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Jose Mourinho responded to Pep’s request by saying, “Everyone has his style of play, which should be respected. Football can be spectacular in several ways.”
To which Guardiola responded, “The beauty of football depends on the coach. It seems to me that Mourinho prefers the result to the spectacle. I know to him that’s all that matters.”
Isn’t the result the most important part of football, especially when it comes to the high pressure world of European football? What good is it if you play beautiful free-flowing football but still lose more often than you win? Teams must be exceptionally talented if they can find that balance and very few do.
Jose Mourinho’s teams are often capable of both and that is often what makes them so great. They can grind out a 1-0 result in a tough away match or win a nine-goal shootout with free flowing passing football. Teams must be flexible enough to adapt to the situation and Mourinho has consistently shown the ability to do that, Guardiola not so much.
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