Manchester derby: Pep Guardiola's record over Jose Mourinho means nothing, says Graeme Souness
Saturday 10 September 2016 16:39, UK
Graeme Souness says Pep Guardiola's record over Jose Mourinho "means nothing" because the Manchester City manager has had better players to work with.
Guardiola has lost only three of his 16 meetings with Mourinho as a manager, winning seven and drawing six, and the two managers face off on Saturday at Old Trafford in the Premier League for the first time, live on Sky Sports 1 HD.
Sky Sports pundit Souness says Guardiola's record is owed to the fact he had better players at his disposal at Barcelona, and believes Mourinho has the edge on Saturday because of his experience of the physicality of British derbies.
Asked if Guardiola's record over Mourinho gives him an advantage, Souness said: "No, not at all. Basically, Pep Guardiola has had better players to work with, and that is why that stat exists.
"Saturday is very different, two different groups of players making a point. Guardiola has come in and is introducing things to players who, in my personal opinion, might just be struggling to grasp it.
"I think Mourinho has knowledge of English football and knows what is needed to win big derby games in England, because sometimes it's not all about football.
"It's sometimes about rolling up your sleeves and getting through those battling moments. He's got far more experience than Pep has.
"In Spain [with Barcelona] it was total football, with Bayern Munich it was total football, I think Saturday will be a little bit more physical than he's been used to anywhere else he's managed."
Both United and City have made 100 per cent starts to the campaign under their new managers, with both sides heading the betting market to win the Premier League title.
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During their two years as managerial rivals in Spain, both managers won La Liga once, though Guardiola was victorious in the 2011 Champions League, beating Mourinho's Real Madrid in the semi-final.
While Souness sees there is a "mutual dislike" between the two managers, he doesn't believe it will have an impact on the players or the outcome of the game.
"It appears there is a mutual dislike for each other, and that has to be kept between the two of them. I don't think players pick up on that, big players want to be on the stage, and there isn't one better to play than here [Old Trafford] at the moment in world football.
"City would love to come here and turn them over, but I think they've got it all to do, because at this moment in time United are looking particularly strong.
"Jose is trying to play it down as just another game, but as a manager you try and do that. It's impossible not to pick up on the atmosphere around the city.
"Everyone who works here at the stadium, everyone that works in the training ground, people they meet in the hotel they're staying in right now, they will all be emphasising that this is a game you cannot lose.
"He's vastly experienced, he's saying all the right things, but this is more than just a game."
