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How AC Milan’s Vincenzo Montella Became More Jose Mourinho Than Pep Guardiola
- Updated: November 25, 2016
It is possible to simplify many football coaches into one of two broad categories. Either they are a pragmatist or an idealist. The former are generally more concerned with the league table, winning and collecting points. The latter tend to be more focused on implementing their own specific style of play.
For much of his relatively short coaching career thus far, Vincenzo Montella has been considered a member of the idealistic subset, a rare yet wonderful beast within the deeply practical environs of Italian football. Yet over the course of his first six months in charge of AC Milan, he has drastically altered this perception.
The Rossoneri have progressed since his appointment in June, rising to third place in Serie A. But if such positive results were unexpected so soon, the manner in which they have been achieved has been equally surprising.
One of the great storylines within football in recent years has been the ongoing battle between Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho. In the past, the pair faced off during a period in which they were respectively in charge of La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid. They have resumed their rivalry this season as managers of Manchester City and Manchester United in the Premier League.
However, while the duo are renowned as opposites simply for the clubs they represent, their clashes have always signified a meeting of contrasting worldviews. Both, undeniably, are obsessed by winning. Yet only one of them has a clarity of principle, a method from which deviation is rarely tolerated.
Guardiola is unquestionably an idealist, as the performances of his Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City teams have illustrated. They have all incorporated similar tactical themes, furthering their manager’s philosophy in praxis. At the same time, Mourinho’s sides have been open to change based on the circumstances, available players and opposition.
Consequently, whenever the two managers come together, a battle between romance and realism ensues; one is determined to prove his way is best, and the other is angling for victory as the ultimate form of validation.
Jose Mourinho vs. Pep Guardiola: Man United and City manager watch #ManCityFC #epl #bpl pic.twitter.com/0lipiXNPcS
— Football Pointer (@FootballPointer) November 18, 2016
In Serie A, it could be argued that almost all head coaches side more with Mourinho’s way than Guardiola’s. This owes a lot to Italian football culture, something that Gianluca Vialli touches on in his and Gabriele Marcotti’s book, The Italian Job.
“In Italy, we are far quicker to decide that a manager’s stint is a failure,” he wrote. “Italian clubs will sack a manager based on the most recent results. Sometimes, even a month’s run of losses is enough for …
