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Topics: Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola, AS Roma, Roma, Manchester City, Football, Premier League, Serie A, Europa Conference League
Rory O'Callaghan
Topics: Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola, AS Roma, Roma, Manchester City, Football, Premier League, Serie A, Europa Conference League
Former Liverpool and Aston Villa striker Dean Saunders says he would appoint Jose Mourinho over Pep Guardiola if he owned a football club.
Mourinho became the first manager to win UEFA's three major club competitions on Wednesday night after his Roma side beat Feyenoord 1-0 in the inaugural Europa Conference League final in Tirana.
He has now won five European club finals, having already won the Champions League with Porto (2004) and Inter Milan (2010), in addition to his Europa League victories with Porto (2003) and Manchester United (2017).
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Guardiola also won the Champions League twice (2009 and 2011) as manager of Barcelona, while on Sunday he won a fourth Premier League title in five seasons with Manchester City.
But Saunders says he is no doubt that he would pick Mourinho over Guardiola if he was tasked with appointing a manager.
Recalling a previous conversation he'd had with talkSPORT presenter Alan Brazil, Saunders said: "Can you remember asking me that question, 'If you owned a football club who would you have as manager?', and I went 'Mourinho'.
"And you said 'Not Guardiola?'.
"I said 'Jose Mourinho has proven that he put an average group of players together and win the European Cup with Porto'.
"And he's just done it again last night with an average group of players, he's won something again."
Saunders then referenced Mourinho's famous claim that his achievement in guiding Manchester United to runners-up spot in the Premier League in the 2017-18 season was one of the best of his career.
The claim was widely mocked at the time but is now given more respect, with United yet to win a piece of silverware since his departure from club.
"Everything he said at Manchester United has come true," added Saunders.
"He's going to go down as one of the best managers in the history of football."
Some fans on social media have agreed with Saunders, with one Twitter user commenting: "Jose's achievements by far out weigh Pep's I don't care what anyone says.
"Put Jose in at Barca, Bayern and City he wins exactly the same as Pep if not more but you put Pep in at Porto and Inter he does not achieve what Jose did at those clubs, not a chance!"
However, other football fans were quick to ridicule Saunders.
"Mate he won the conference league with one of the heavy favourites Roma, there's a reason he's managing them and Guardiola's at Man City," wrote one fan on Twitter.
Another added: "Lol. In modern day football, you'll have Mourinho over Pep? You need help…"
Who do you think is the better manager? Pep Guardiola or Jose Mourinho? Let us know your thoughts.