Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has played down the importance of his rivalry with Jose Mourinho, saying the presence of the Manchester United boss will help him to improve.
The pair developed a rivalry in La Liga when Guardiola was in charge at Barcelona and Mourinho led Real Madrid.
Mourinho, though, was diplomatic when asked about the new City boss at his media unveiling this week, saying: “To speak about one manager, one club, and I don’t like the word but one ‘enemy,’ is not right.
“One thing is that you are in a competition like I was in Spain when it is a two-horse race. In Italy it was three teams. But in the Premier League it doesn’t make sense at all.”
Guardiola agreed that the season would not be defined by his rivalry with Mourinho, telling reporters: “I don’t see it as a question. We are both here. He wants to win. I want to win.
“I think Jose said it pretty well in his press conference — it is not about him or me, so we are not focusing on each other.
“What I saw from the distance is it is so tough to win the games here. We played many times against each other. I can say, they help me, the big coaches, and Jose is one of them, they help me to reach another level.”
The Premier League will involve many of the world’s elite managers this season, including Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp and new Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, whom Guardiola described as a “master tactician.”
He added: “My experience against him [Mourinho], against Jurgen Klopp at Dortmund, a lot of coaches in Germany and Spain, they made me better. All the managers in the world want to win and we are going to try and win as well.”
Guardiola, whose relationship with the German media was often frosty during his time at Bayern Munich, also said he had no intention of developing a close relationship with British journalists.
“I know when things are not going well, you are not going to help,” he said. “That is why I keep my distance.”
