Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho Have Reignited the Manchester Derby

There can be little doubt that the Manchester derbies last season were lacking the intensity and passion we’ve come to expect from the fixture.

Manchester City were being led by a dead man walking, with Manuel Pellegrini’s days numbered. The only reason he started last season as manager was because Pep Guardiola wasn’t available for another 12 months. City’s form during final few months of the previous season would normally have seen the manager removed.

Over at Manchester United, Louis van Gaal was in a similar situation, unwanted by the fans and castigated in the media. The language he often used wasn’t the kind expected from a United manager—nowhere near bullish or ambitious enough. Nor was the insipid, sterile football he encouraged.

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The days of Roberto Mancini threatening to tear down the banner inside Old Trafford that mocked City’s 35-year wait for a trophy or Sir Alex Ferguson writing off United’s crosstown rivals as noisy neighbours were gone. These were less hostile times, and the two league matches between the sides reflected that.

The 0-0 draw at Old Trafford last October was about as dull a Manchester derby as you will see. Neither side wanted to lose—and as a result, neither side appeared to want to win.

Even the pre-match talk was bland and uninspired. Pellegrini, never one to stoke the fires ahead of a big game or try to use the media to his advantage, was famous for straight-batting every question he faced from reporters, and Van Gaal, so unsure of his position and suspicious of the media, was becoming increasingly cautious. It made for a somewhat sanitised buildup that failed to inspire the supporters.

The return game at the Etihad Stadium in March at least had a narrative that could be remembered. Marcus Rashford’s precociousness and technical quality saw him make a fool of Martin Demichelis and, at 18, become the youngest scorer in a Manchester derby in the Premier League era as he hit the winner in a 1-0 victory.

The general quality of the game, though, again failed to meet expectations. The overriding feeling was the two matches between the sides had failed to deliver.

Jon Super/Associated Press/Associated Press/Associated Press

There’s no danger of that this season. Guardiola has finally taken over at City and imbued them with intensity. He’s made some smart signings, is demanding more from his players and there’s excitement building once more. Last season was defined by disappointment at the Etihad. Optimism has returned thanks to Guardiola’s management.

Five wins from five games, 15 goals scored and some superb football along the way—as starts go, Guardiola’s has been pretty impressive. City sit top of the table and have qualified for the Champions League group stage thanks to a 6-0 aggregate win over Steaua Bucharest.

Against Stoke City, whom they defeated 4-1, they ran 10 km further (per the Mirror) than they did in the same fixture the previous season. Against West Ham United in their most recent outing, they moved the ball brilliantly and looked increasingly assured playing Guardiola’s system. Something special appears to be building.

Similar can be said about the start to the new season over at Old Trafford. United had the best summer of any Premier League side. Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has his critics, but he emphatically ticked off most of the items on United’s wishlist, and they all of a sudden look like title contenders again.

They needed a manager who was a winner. They got one in Jose Mourinho. They needed some arrogance on the pitch after three years of playing within themselves. Zlatan Ibrahimovic brings that in abundance.

Eric Bailly adds pace and power to what was an unsteady defence, Henrikh Mkhitaryan brings guile and sparkle and Paul Pogba could go on and become the best player in the league. To give credit where it’s due, Woodward has been decisive in his actions, and United have vastly improved as a result.

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Which leaves the derby set up beautifully. The widespread feeling is the two Manchester clubs will contest the title. Compared to last season, which saw both sides limp to the finish line and in desperate need of change, it couldn’t be more different.

The two best managers in the game are going head-to-head. Guardiola and Mourinho are completely different in style, but they’re both serial winners. There is no love lost between the pair, either. If this game wasn’t already poised beautifully, the added subtext of their stormy relationship, which has been far from hidden throughout their careers, makes it even more fascinating.

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Guardiola's Barcelona vs. Mourinho's Inter Milan

Four meetings: Guardiola: 2 wins, draws: 1, Mourinho: 1 win.

Guardiola's Barcelona vs. Mourinho's Real Madrid

11 meetings: Guardiola wins: 5, draws: 4, Mourinho wins: 2.

Guardiola's Bayern Munich vs. Mourinho's Chelsea

One meeting: One draw (Guardiola won on penalties).

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There have been some aggressive matches when their teams have gone up against one another. Guardiola has much the better record, and Mourinho isn’t used to being outdone so frequently.

Ahead of the Champions League semi-final between Guardiola’s Barcelona and Mourinho’s Real Madrid in 2011, a war of words broke out. As reported by Peter Smith of Sky Sports, Guardiola said:

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As senor Mourinho has called me Pep, I'm going to call him Jose. Tomorrow at 8.45pm we will face each other on the pitch. Off the pitch he's won. He's been winning off the pitch all season. Let them give him a Champions League for it so he can enjoy it and take it home. In the press room he is 'el p*** jefe' (the ******* boss) and the one who knows more than everyone else.

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Jose Mourinho & Pep Guardiola will renew their rivalry in the PL next season. Here’s their head to head record #mufc pic.twitter.com/Q2gQFJLpFr

— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) May 27, 2016"

That saw Guardiola greeted by a standing ovation from his players at the team hotel later that evening. Barcelona won the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu 2-0. Real defender Pepe and Mourinho were dismissed in what was an ugly affair. Mourinho, clearly unhappy with the officiating and with being outdone by Guardiola, launched a vicious attack.

"One day, I would like Josep Guardiola to win this competition properly," he said, per Smith. Mourinho continued:

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If I tell UEFA what I really think and feel, my career would end now. Instead I will just ask a question to which I hope one day to get a response: Why? Why [Tom Henning] Ovrebo? Why [Massimo] Busacca? Why [Frank] De Bleeckere? Why [Wolfgang] Stark?

Why? Because every semi-final the same things happen. We are talking about an absolutely fantastic football team, so why do they need that? Why? Why does a team as good as they are need something [extra] that is so obvious that everyone sees it?

I don't know if it is the UNICEF sponsorship or if it is because they are nice guys. I don't understand. They have power and we have no chance. All I can do is leave that question here in the air and hope that one day I will get the response. They have to get to the final, and they'll get there, full stop.

Josep Guardiola is a fantastic coach. But I have won two Champions Leagues and he has won one Champions League—and that is one that would embarrass me. I would be ashamed to have won it with the scandal of Stamford Bridge. If he wins it this year, it will be with the scandal of the Bernabeu. Deep down, if they are good people, it cannot taste right for them. I hope one day Guardiola has the chance of winning a brilliant, clean championship with no scandal.

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LLUIS GENE/Getty Images

The return match at the Camp Nou finished 1-1, and Barcelona went on to lift the trophy, their second Champions League triumph in three seasons.

The following year saw the feud continue. The second leg of the Spanish Super Cup between the two teams was marred by Mourinho poking Barca's then-assistant manager, Tito Vilanova, in the eye after a fight broke out between players and staff.

"I'm not going to say we're happy because we didn't win the Spanish Super Cup, that would be hypocritical of me," said Mourinho, per Smith. "But we intended to play like men and not fall on the ground at the slightest touch. I have been taught to play like a man and not to fall first."

Saturday's Manchester derby won’t simply be a tactical battle—it will be a mental one too, with the buildup set to whet the appetite. The game has perhaps come too early in the season, with the managers yet to have shaped their squads in their own image, but it’s a huge fixture nonetheless.

The eyes of the world will be on the game. United vs. City. Mourinho vs. Guardiola. Title rivals going head-to-head. Compared to last season’s damp affairs, this couldn’t be more different.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and follows the club from a Manchester base. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard_.