Football at its best is a balance between pragmatism and ideological style. The rivalry between Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola epitomises this and it is exactly why it is such a divisive topic.

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They are the two iconic managers of a generation. Two managers who have enjoyed success in multiple countries and imprinted a way of football philosophising on the world. Their individual differences through character and approach to the sport have treated us to some of the greatest encounters in living memory.

It has not been an isolated rivalry, however. Both managers have been the start of polarised footballing ideologies. Mourinho’s pragmatism, his win-at-all costs nature comes at a price, but it brings trophies at an almost relentless rate. Guardiola’s aesthetically pleasing style has been similarly silverware laden, but there are greater risks taken in the name of playing football the right way.

The Premier League has seen an influx of top class managers in recent seasons with Mourinho and Guardiola being the headline acts. Across the rest of the Premier League, there has been an undoubted push for the press. The press that was synonymous with the quick rush to close passing lanes by Pep’s Barcelona, and press that has morphed into something entirely more physical for teams like Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool and Tottenham.

Pressing, despite leaving teams open to a direct. line breaking pass through the lines, is in vogue. It is talked about more than anything else and is in clear opposition to the rigid, shape-keeping approach of Mourinho. An approach that has become the minority at the pinnacle of European football and the British game. Antonio Conte’s Chelsea are somewhere between the two, with the league leading Blues capable of ferociously pressing and setting their defensive block deep. Ronald Koeman’s Everton favour a low block like Mourinho, Arsenal are often caught between the two, but it is Mourinho’s pragmatic, ‘protect what we have’ approach that seems to be waning.

Guardiola has disciples in a way that Mourinho has never really had. Without a clear identity of how his teams play – other than winning – the Portuguese leaves little legacy behind. It is football with great emotion, but it does not capture the imagination in the same way as Guardiola. The Catalan is an admirer of the philosophically entrenched, yet remarkable, Marcelo Bielsa, as many of the world’s top managers are.

Bielsa is perhaps the most influential of all managers on modern football. His fundamentals of how the game should be played – along with Johann Cruyff – moulded Guardiola’s belief in the sport. Football is a sport that has historically been about ideological differences, it was so even in its formative years between the English and the Scottish.

Currently there is a split between the ultra-pragmatists like Mourinho and the philosophical thinkers like Guardiola. In the middle you find managers like Antonio Conte, Mauricio Pochettino and Max Allegri. Guardiola, though, is currently winning the tug of war between two of football’s all-time greats. The attack-first, stylistically-dominated brand of football has been sweeping across Europe. Whether in direct result of Guardiola or not, his framework for the sport (particularly the pressing game) is influencing all corners of the European game.

Some teams could do with a splash of the Mourinho pragmatism, but you cannot add that to someone like Guardiola without losing so much of what makes him great.

Low-risk, maximum-result football can bring instant results – as Mourinho has done for much of his career – while conceptual managers can take time to adapt. This is where clubs have a decision to make, results may come quicker with Mourinho, Conte or Allegri, but results are not all that will define the legacy of a team. And on that score, Guardiola is surely winning.

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