Aitor Karanka: 'Jose Mourinho is a better manager than Pep Guardiola'

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 05 November 2016

Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka claims that Manchester United's Jose Mourinho is a better manager than Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola.

Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka has said that he believes Jose Mourinho is a better manager than Pep Guardiola.

Karanka, a former Real Madrid player who also worked as Mourinho's assistant at the Bernabeu, saw his side earn a smash-and-grab 1-1 draw against Guardiola's Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium this afternoon.

The pair were El Clasico rivals during their playing days, and Karanka still rates Mourinho higher than Guardiola despite the Portuguese boss having endured a difficult start to his time at Old Trafford.

"For me, Jose is a better manager than Pep. I worked with Jose for three years and I know his methodology, I know his character, I know everything," he told the Daily Mail.

"For me it was amazing to work with him, so I know him better than Pep. [Myself and Pep] are not [friends] because Real Madrid versus Barcelona were big games. Once you've been part of that divide, it stays there. But I think it is the same here if you are Newcastle, Sunderland or Middlesbrough. I think it's always the same. I wasn't with him in the national team [either] so I didn't have a relationship with him.

"[Guardiola is] one of the best. But I don't think one is much better than the rest because we also have Jose. We have Diego Simeone in Spain, Jurgen Klopp, Mauricio Pochettino and Antonio Conte here, so there are a lot of top coaches."

Guardiola won his first 10 matches in charge of Man City in all competitions, but has won just two of the last nine.