Mourinho-Pellegrini rivalry renewed on FIFA list
Jose Mourinho’s rivalry with Manuel Pellegrini is set to step up a notch after both Premier League managers were listed as candidates for FIFA’s Coach of the Year award, along with Louis van Gaal.
Mourinho and Pellegrini have been involved in several high-profile spats over the years; the Portuguese replaced his rival as Real Madrid manager in 2010 before criticising Pellegrini for taking a job at Malaga.
The pair clashed again last season when Pellegrini’s Manchester City side pipped Chelsea to the Premier League title – securing a domestic double following City’s League Cup triumph – while they started the current campaign in similar fashion after Mourinho dubbed his counterpart “Mr Pellegrino” ahead of the 1-1 draw at the Etihad in September.
Premier League stars take on Ronaldo
- Premier League stars Thibaut Courtois, Eden Hazad, Diego Costa, Yaya Toure and Angel Di Maria are among the contenders to win the FIFA Ballon d’Or, along with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but not one Englishman made the 23-man list of nominees for their 2014 performances – and neither did Luis Suarez.
- Click here for the Ballon d’Or initial list
Mourinho’s friendship with Manchester United manager Van Gaal will also be put to test after the Dutchman was included on the list for his achievements with the Netherlands at the World Cup; after defeat to Argentina in the semi-finals, Van Gaal guided his side to a 3-0 victory against hosts Brazil in the third-place play-off.
Mourinho warmly embraced his former mentor before the 1-1 draw at Old Trafford last Sunday, while Van Gaal recently claimed the Chelsea manager is now the master. Mourinho led Chelsea to the semi-finals of the Champions League last campaign, where they were defeated by Atletico Madrid, and has overseen their unbeaten start to the current Premier League season.
Also included on the list are Joachim Low and Alejandro Sabella, the coaches of World Cup finalists Germany and Argentina, as well as the winners of the domestic club leagues in Germany (Pep Guardiola), Spain (Diego Simeone) and Italy (Antonio Conte).
Candidates for FIFA’s Coach of the Year:
Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid
Antonio Conte, Juventus/Italy
Pep Guardiola, Bayern Munich
Jurgen Klinsmann, United States
Joachim Low, Germany
Jose Mourinho, Chelsea
Manuel Pellegrini, Manchester City
Alejandro Sabella, Argentina
Diego Simeone, Atletico Madrid
Louis van Gaal, Netherlands/Manchester United
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