Jose Mourinho has responded in typically bullish fashion after Pep Guardiola pointed out that he has won more Premier League titles than the Portuguese manager amid recent comparisons.
It has been a difficult period for the Manchester City boss and he could not hide his signs of stress during the recent 2-0 away loss to Liverpool. Indeed, Guardiola made headlines for his repsonse to the home fans as they sang: "You're getting sacked in the morning".
The City boss reminded the Anfield faithful of his previous achievements – most notably, six Premier League titles – by putting up six fingers, five on one hand and one on the other. His behaviour drew comparisons to Mourinho, who made a similar gesture during his time at Manchester United – albeit with just three fingers, to represent the three league titles he lifted in England with Chelsea.
Guardiola even spoke of the similarities, and couldn't help but get in a little dig at his fellow fabled manager. He was asked by a journalist if he sees the parallels, but was keen to distinguish himself, saying:
"I hope that’s not the case for me. But in the end, we are similar in some ways. However, he won three Premier Leagues, and I’ve won six. So, it’s not quite the same, is it?"
Mourinho Fires Back at Pep
'I won fairly and cleanly'
mourinho jose
These quotes have since made their way back to Mourinho – who is currenlty Fenerbahce manager in Turkiye – and the 61-year-old was obviously not pleased. As quoted in the Daily Mail, he replied thornily:
"Guardiola said something to me yesterday. He won six trophies and I won three, but I won fairly and cleanly.
"If I lost, I want to congratulate my opponent because he was better than me. I don't want to win by dealing with 150 lawsuits."
Man City manager Pep Guardiola with his head in his hand. Related
Full List of FFP Charges Against Manchester City
Manchester City have been hit with 115 charges of Financial Fair Play breaches. Here is a full breakdown and a timeline of events.
His quotes are a reference to the fact that Man City are currently in the midst of a well-documented legal battle with the Premier League, in relation to breaches of Financial Fair Play. The outcome of the charges is still far from being deciced, with a verdict not expected to be made public until spring 2025 at the earliest.