As players Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino plied their trades on opposite sides of the Barcelona divide: Guardiola at the mighty Nou Camp, Pochettino at less fashionable city rivals Espanyol.
Both started their managerial careers at the same clubs. And while Guardiola led Lionel Messi and Co to Champions League glory and unprecedented success, Pochettino forged a formidable reputation by helping Espanyol escape relegation.
Pochettino would become the first Espanyol manager to win a Barcelona derby at the Nou Camp in 27 years when he claimed a 2-1 victory in February 2009. That was also Guardiola’s first home defeat as Barcelona manager.
Both are champions of possession-based, attacking football coupled with an intense high-pressing game.
Guardiola has openly expressed his admiration for Pochettino. ‘I don’t just think he’s one of the best managers in England, he’s one of the best football managers in the world,’ said the Manchester City boss after joining his rival in England last year.
‘I enjoy watching Tottenham. What he’s doing is an amazing job. If I had not been a coach, I would be just a fan, or if I was a young coach who wanted to become a coach, and I would see Tottenham and say “I would like to play that way”.’
Pochettino with Guardiola in 2010 during their time managing in Barcelona
But Pochettino hinted at something less cordial last September when he said that Guardiola got more attention than him, despite their similar managerial styles. The Argentine said that he had risen up ‘the hard way’, a clear dig at Guardiola’s ascent among football royalty at Barcelona.
‘Guardiola is the face of a new managerial era, in which the vision of romantic football was mixed with new technology,’ he said.
‘He is the face but it’s not only Guardiola. I have been involved and [so have] different managers like Luis Enrique and Diego Simeone. We are the same age and in the same level. Guardiola was the face because [good] results always put you at the top. I think always you can see better when you have Messi in your team.
‘Yes, I have [done it the hard way]. I was a player at Espanyol and I had the possibility to work [as the manager] at a difficult moment, a difficult period for Espanyol.’
He did, however, later say of Guardiola: ‘He is the best manager in the world, he showed quality at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.’
Pochettino inflicted Guardiola’s first ever home defeat at Barcelona in 2009
Back in January Pochettino revealed some bitterness towards the way he is viewed back in his home country compared with Guardiola, a Spaniard, saying: ‘In Argentina they say it’s “[Erik] Lamela’s Spurs”, not Pochettino’s.
‘But notice that in Argentina “Guardiola begins to think about retirement” sells more than “Pochettino ends [Antonio] Conte’s unbeaten run”.
‘I get it. I played for Newell’s. I was on the national team, but I wasn’t a great player. I understand that I have to do many more things to have the attention of the Argentine media and for that to get me closer to the people.’
And then, just before the international break, came the comments that have sparked open hostility.
‘It’s in September, so Chelsea won 15 games in a row last season, were unbeatable and won the league, not easy, but they won it in advance,’ said Guardiola.
‘Of course this season has a little more problems because they [Chelsea] play every three days, that’s always more complicated for all the teams.
‘But we also have United, we saw again the Harry Kane team scores every day two or three goals.’
CHRIS CUTMORE