The clash between Manchester United and Arsenal on Sunday is widely seen as a crucial game for each club, a day that could revive United’s top four hopes or end Arsenal’s.
But it is even more interesting to focus on it as the latest contest between their managers Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger.
Mourinho and Wenger have often locked horns and at times have even needed to be separated on the touchline. Jose famously called Arsene a “specialist in failure” while Wenger has tended to respond in his own way by ignoring Mourinho’s jibes in a bid to take the moral high-ground.
Unfortunately for Arsenal, Wenger has only beaten a Mourinho-managed team once in 15 attempts, which doesn’t bode well for the crunch tie at the Emirates or Arsenal’s top four chances. We can expect United to park the bus, play on the counter and punish the Gunners for not being clinical, something nobody would enjoy more than The Red Devils’ Portuguese manager. The 54-year-old has a fabulous record against the current top six teams in the Premier League whereas Wenger’s record against them this season is awful. The result seems inevitable.
It is the deeper storyline about these two that has often fans undecided. Who is the better manager? Although Jose has a terrific knack of winning against tougher opponents and Wenger hasn’t won the Premier League title for more than a decade the 67-year-old’s legacy is much more admiral than the results.
Wenger has stuck with the Gooners for more than two decades while other PL clubs have changed managers an average of five times each. He is a one-man club which in this day is something to marvel at. Mourinho is the polar opposite. He has jumped ship from every job he has had, occasionally leaving just before he would have been kicked out. His salty relationship with Chelsea despite his heroics in his first spell at the club tell you a lot about a man that the Blues fans once adored. His Real Madrid stint also came to an uncomfortable end following some bizarre events off the pitch and on the touchline. Will Jose be remembered as a legend by any of his former clubs? No. In fact most of the fans of his previous clubs now hate his guts.
Right now Wenger may be disliked by many of the Emirates faithful but it is fair to assume that when he does go 90% of those fans will be grateful for all his work and the empire he has built at Arsenal. United fans on the other hand are quite likely to dislike Jose by the time he leaves. The ex-Inter manager has a habit of leaving things in a mess when he moves on to his next job. He is a rich-man’s Sam Allardyce, a temporary fix for a long-term problem.
Wenger will be remembered for his Invincibles team, his development of excellent young players, the eye-catching style of play that he insisted on, and his ability to create legends for the Premier League. His Portuguese rival will be remembered for his touchline antics and his spiteful comments about rival managers. I know who I would rather have as a manager.
by Nubaid Haroon YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCtMg-fWm7awR41vM1GhVOkA Twitter: twitter.com/rambofyi
The post Football: Mourinho or Wenger? Only One is a Legend appeared first on Felix Magazine.
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