Chelsea FC vs. Manchester United Match-ups To Watch

Courtesy of Flickr user: Ronnie Macdonald

4. Jose Mourinho vs. Louis van Gaal

When managers Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal meet in the technical area Sunday, it will be a much calmer place than it was three weeks ago in the now infamous Mourinho-Wenger scuffle. The coaches share a friendship and respect for each other not often seen in situations involving Jose. When Sir Bobby Robson stepped down as Barcelona manager in 1997, van Gaal left a multiple trophy winning Ajax side to manage the Catalonian giants. Mourinho was an assistant under Robson and prior to his departure learned much of the craft from the managerial great. Under the tutelage of van Gaal, Jose was given a further chance to gain coaching experience.

Now more than a decade later, van Gaal is still working on revamping his Manchester United squad while Mourinho and Chelsea seem the surest thing to league title favorites.

When the two squared off in the 2010 Champions League final, it was Mourinho’s Inter Milan side who claimed a 2-0 victory over van Gaal’s Bayern Munich.