- Guardiola highlighted that he had won six titles compared to Mourinho’s three
- The comment prompted Mourinho to mock Manchester City who face 115 charges.
- LISTEN NOW It’s all starting!: Why can’t Chelsea win the league? They made seven substitutions and still scored five. Do you think Liverpool could do that?
Pep Guardiola has responded to Jose Mourinho’s jibe that his Premier League titles were “fairly won” in a direct reference to the 115 charges of Premier League financial irregularity facing Manchester City.
Guardiola had joked earlier in the week that his six-fingered salute to the baying Liverpool crowd last Sunday was like a Mourinho gesture.
The Portuguese raised three fingers near the end of his reign at Manchester United in 2018 in response to mounting criticism. And Guardiola said: “Maybe we are similar, but he won three and I won six.”
That prompted Mourinho to refer to the 115 charges of Premier League financial irregularity City face.
“I want to win, but I want to win clean and fair,” said Mourinho, who led Chelsea to the title in 2005, 2006 and 2015 under Roman Abramovich, whose reign is also under the Premier League microscope following the current hierarchy. reported that the club presented “incomplete financial information” between 2012 and 2019.
“If I can’t win cleanly, I’d rather lose,” Mourinho added.
Pep Guardiola has stated that José Mourinho is among those who want Manchester City to be relegated
Mourinho said he wants to win “fairly and squarely” after Guardiola said he would double his rival’s titles.
Guardiola had made reference to winning six titles compared to Mourinho’s three after his gesture at Anfield
“He won six trophies and I won three, but I won fair and square. I don’t want to win by dealing with 115 cases.”
Guardiola then mocked Mourinho’s response. “I was joking, but he is another one on the huge list that the team wants in League One or the Conference,” the 53-year-old said. ‘I would say the same thing to José: we are innocent until proven otherwise.
“I was joking, but he is another one on the huge list that the team wants in League One or the Conference,” the 53-year-old said. ‘I would say the same thing to José: we are innocent until proven otherwise. We’ll see what happens.
“Both with our teams, he with Chelsea and me with Manchester City, we can sit at the table with Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, right? Because of the many titles we win.
‘If I have offended you I am very sorry, but it was a joke. The fact is that he is three and I am six. This is a fact.
‘Another in this country and more around the world who want us down. It’s okay, it’s okay. I have said it many times, wait for the sentence. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
Mourinho and Guardiola’s feud dates back to their time as rivals in Spain between 2010 and 2012 as coaches of Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.
Guardiola enjoys warmer relations with Ferguson and Wenger and the latter has been an unlikely ally in City’s dispute with the Premier League.
Mourinho and Guardiola’s feud dates back to their time as coaches of Real Madrid and Barcelona
“With Arsene, since he retired he has been incredible,” Guardiola said. ‘Arsene has been a gentleman for many years. Sir Alex, some chats.
“We talk about life, experience, they ask me what it’s like in England, his experiences at United and Arsenal and the impact (for Wenger) of moving from Highbury to the Emirates.
“Normal people in the world of football don’t talk about results or how many trophies you won, the pleasant experiences for coaches are the ones you live.
‘They both had incredible success, and José at Chelsea. I remember that many people said about me: “I won thanks to Barcelona and Lionel Messi”, and I had to prove myself in England. “Okay, we did it.”