Champions League Final: Sir Alex Ferguson vs. Pep Guardiola, Scoring the Battle

Both Alex Ferguson and Josep Guardiola are great coaches.

They are both probably going to win their leagues and one of them is going to win another Champions League.

But who's better? 

I will compare them in several categories and we shall see.

It's impossible to be completely objective, but I tried to be as objective as I could.

Motivation

I don't think Manchester United's or Barcelona's players need much motivation, as playing for great teams is a motivation on it's own.

Even so, this first category goes to Guardiola as he is able to keep his players motivated after winning every single tournament they could win.

Temperament

Guardiola always tries to avoid controversy and usually stays calm.

Ferguson has had his fair share of controversies over the years, including his pre-game mind games.

Pep gets this one as his calmer temper keeps him away from controversies most of the time.

Influence

Both are influential persons, but while Guardiola's influence limits itself to Barcelona, Ferguson's is all over the place, so he gets this one.

Career as a Player

This one has to go to Guardiola, the guy won a Champions League, a Gold Medal in the Olympics and multiple national trophies 

Meanwhile, Ferguson didn't win anything as a player.

Coaching Lesser Teams

Before he was named Manchester United's head coach, Alex Ferguson had already won a Scottish first division, three Scottish Premier Division, four Scottish Cups, a Scottish League Cup, a UEFA Cup and a UEFA Super Cup.

On the other hand, Guardiola had only won the Spanish Tercera Division, four layers lower than La Liga.

Experience

Since Guardiola has the playing experience and Ferguson the coaching one, this could go to either one or be a draw.

I'm going to give the advantage to Sir Alex though. He's been coaching his team for longer than Guardiola has been related to Barça's first team.

Tactics

4-3-3 for Barcelona.

4-2-3-1 for Manchester United.

Both teams have different tactics and different styles, but each of the teams has the perfect players for the system they play with.

This one is a draw.

Big Game Performance

Neither coach gets nervous in a big game environment as both are used to big teams and big games.

Guardiola could have a slight advantage, as he's won a Champions League against Alex Ferguson and Manchester United, and another one in Wembley as a player.

Championships

Alex Ferguson has won way more championships than Guardiola, but he's been a coach for way longer than Guardiola.

Considering only the championships they've won since Guardiola has been head coach of the first squad (since the 2008-09 season), let's see who's got more.

Ferguson: a Premier League, two FA Cups, two League Cups, two community shields and a FIFA Club World Cup. A total of eight titles.

Guardiola: two Ligas, a Copa del Rey, two Spanish Super Cups, a Champions League, a UEFA Super Club and a FIFA Club World Cup. A total of eight.

They both have been able to win eight titles in the last three years and will probably win their leagues this year, so until they play the Champions League final, this is a draw.

Player Development

Maybe it's because of Barcelona's youth program and not because of Guardiola, but guys he started coaching in the Spanish fourth division are now world champions.

Guardiola gets this one because of that, and because even though Ferguson is good developing player, I think he's better in the next category.

Player Signing

Piqué and Villa. That's all Guardiola has signed successfully. As I said in the previous slide, he's better at growing home talent and developing players, and not signing guys like Chygrynskiy (picture).

On the other hand, Alex Ferguson has signed guys and correctly replaced key pieces of his team time and again.

Player Management

Both coaches are respected in their locker rooms for different reasons. 

Guardiola for his playing days and his loyalty to the club.

Ferguson for his coaching experience, successful career and longevity in Manchester.

Therefore, neither of them has really had problem managing his players.

Ferguson gets this one as Guardiola has had some problem managing signing and releases, while Ferguson has done it without a problem for a long time.

Barcelona's Champions League Thus Far

First in his group with 14 points, Rubin Kazan and Panathinaikos eliminated.

Eliminated Arsenal in the Round 16 with an aggregate of 4-3

Eliminated Shaktar Donetsk in the quarterfinal with an aggregate of 6-1

Eliminated Real Madrid in the semifinal with an aggregate of 3-1

Top Scorer: Leo Messi (11)

Top Assistant: Andrés Iniesta (4)

UEFA Ranking 2010/2011: 2nd.

Manchester United's Champions Legue Thus Far

First in his group with 14 points, Rangers and Bursaspor eliminated.

Eliminated Olympique Marseille in Round 16 with an aggregate of 2-1

Eliminated Chelsea in the quarterfinal with an aggregate of 3-1

Eliminated Schalke 04 in the semifinal with an aggregate of 6-1

Top Scorer: Javier Hernandez (4)

Top Assistant: Ryan Giggs (4)

UEFA Ranking 2010/2011: 1st.

Conclusion

It's a tie.

Ferguson wins in the experience, player management, player singing, influence and pre big team coaching categories.

Guardiola wins in the motivation, temperament, playing career, big game performance and player development categories.

And the championships and tactics categories are draws.

So giving one point for each category we get 5-5 or 7-7 (counting ties as one point).

Since I know I'm going to get bashed no matter what, let's all agree that they are both great coaches and the one who wins this year's Champions League is better.