Pep Guardiola has finally been riled by Jose 'special one' Mourinho.Not that we never expected it,once it became clear Barcelona and Real Madrid would meet each other four times in eighteen days.
Mourinho plays mind games on opponents to good effect,just like Alex Ferguson.In Portugal,Jesualdo Ferreira never had peace.In England,Rafa Benitez and Arsene Wenger had torrid time.In Italy,Carlo Ancelotti,Claudio Ranieri and Luciano Spaletti were given trouble.But in Spain,nobody gave him the chance.Unai Emery and Quique Sanchez Flores were expected to talk.They didn't.Pep Guardiola never fell to his trap.Everything he(Mourinho) said was never replied...until they(Barcelona) lost the Spanish cup and were set for the Champions' league semis.
After Guardiola made a harmless comment about the referee in the last Spanish cup,and suggested Mourinho would want his fellow Portuguese to referee the Champions' league,Mourinho didn't waste time in responding.
''...we have had two types of coaches'',he said, ''a very small group who never speak to referees''
He continued,''there's a bigger group,of which I am one of,who criticize the referees when they make huge errors,but also praise them when they do good.
''With Pep,we have a third group now,which includes only him,who criticise the correct decisions of the referees.''
Guardiola didn't just get mad,but also used the 'F' word.He has cracked.
Mourinho has won the war off the pitch.Let's see whether he does the same on it.