5 Of The Fiercest Managerial Rivalries In Club Football
Football rivalries extend to way more than fans clashing with each other. Managers and coaches from opposing camps will often lock horns with each other, on and off the field. Here are five of the fiercest managerial rivalries in club football history. Arrigo Sacchi And Fabio Capello This rivalry is different from most managerial rivalries as it was based on individual pride rather than team encounters. Arrigo Sacchi took charge of AC Milan after Fabio Capello was relieved of his duties at the club. The Rossoneri prospered under his tutelage for four years, but he was removed after being too demanding on club funds. Sacchi was then replaced by Capello, who won the rivalry when he brought even more success to Milan. Brian Clough And Don Revie Revie’s Leeds United were the best English club in the ‘70s, but Clough’s Derby County managed to pip them to the title in ‘72. Clough’s Derby side managed to beat them to the title by a solitary point. When Revie left Leeds to manage the England national team, Clough was brought in to replace him. It is safe to say Clough wasn’t exactly fond of his new squad’s playing style, having criticized it previously. You can all throw your medals in the bin because they were not won fairly, Brian Clough. To no one’s surprise, the former Derby coach was sacked within 44 days. Arsene Wenger And Jose Mourinho As personal enemies go, they don’t get much more vicious than Wenger and Mourinho. Perhaps the most iconic line to come out of this rivalry came in 2014 when Mourinho claimed Wenger was “a specialist in failure.” The comment came after Wenger suggested some Premier League managers feared failing after playing down their title chances. "If he is right and I am afraid of failure it is because I didn’t fail many times. Eight years without silverware, that’s failure," Jose Mourinho. "He’s a specialist in failure. If I do that in Chelsea, eight years, I leave and don’t come back," Jose Mourinho. Jose Mourinho And Pep Guardiola Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola’s rivalry while they were competing in Spain is perhaps the ugliest managerial rivalry ever. It got so ugly, that Gerard Pique claims Mourinho was the reason Guardiola left Barcelona. "Mourinho in the press conference, he was every day… you know his style. I think Guardiola at some point, it was too much. It was more important what was happening off the pitch instead of on it," Gerard Pique. Sir Alex Ferguson And Arsene Wenger. Between 1996 and 2004, the Premier League title was either won by Arsenal or Manchester United. So Wenger and Ferguson repeatedly locking horns shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to anyone. When Wenger’s side completed the double over United in 2002, Ferguson called them "scrappers who rely on belligerence." Wenger responded with perhaps one of the best football put-downs ever - "everybody thinks they have the prettiest wife at home." Ferguson and Wenger won 16 Premier League titles between them.
