The two old friends face each other for only the
second time in their careers when Manchester United host Chelsea in the
Premier League on Sunday
By Greg Stobart
In January this year, Louis van Gaal flew to London to give a speech at a dinner organised by the Football Writers' Association to honour Jose Mourinho.
"I am always 'the arrogant Louis van Gaal', but now I am humble because now he is better than me," said the Dutchman of his former protege during a warm and heartfelt talk.
From a man who once claimed he had "nothing more to learn" in coaching it was quite the compliment and a reflection of the tight-knitted relationship between the two close friends who first met when Van Gaal took over as Barcelona coach from Bobby Robson in 1997.
On Sunday, Mourinho will be out to prove Van Gaal correct and show that he has firmly eclipsed his former boss when Chelsea take on Manchester United at Old Trafford.
It is a true case of the master against the apprentice and the way Mourinho talks of Van Gaal - "a big friend and a great man" - underlines the role the Dutchman played in Mourinho's rise to the top of his craft.
When Van Gaal arrived at Camp Nou, Mourinho was about to lose his job having worked under Robson as a translator - the term by which he is now mocked by Barcelona supporters - while also helping with planning training sessions, analysing opponents and talking players through tactical instructions.
He reacted furiously to the prospect of being surplus to requirements, raging at then Barcelona president Josep Lluis Nunez that he deserved to be kept on because of the role he had played in the club's Copa del Rey, Spanish Supercopa and European Cup Winners' Cup triumphs.
"Mourinho was very angry," recalled Van Gaal. "He was very irritated and shouted. That was impressive for me, because he had emotions and he was right.
"I asked him to be the coach, the trainer, because he knew the team and he could help me. He said 'yes' and stayed three years with me. "He analysed all the games for me and did it very well. He took the individual training sessions and I also let him coach the games of the Copa Catalunya. He won it."
The relationship prospered and so did the squad, as the Van Gaal-Mourinho dream team led the Catalans to successful La Liga titles and another Copa del Rey victory.
In 2000, Mourinho became a manager in his own right as he took over Benfica and he has never looked back.
Mourinho's CV boasts seven league titles in four countries, nine domestic trophies, a Uefa Cup and two Champions League titles with two different clubs, a feat only achieved by four other managers.
That last European triumph came with Inter in 2010 in Mourinho's only previous competitive fixture against a team managed by Van Gaal, as the Italians defeated Bayern Munich 2-0 in Madrid.
Van Gaal will be determined to level the score this weekend and is one of the few managers who can boast a comparable CV to the Portuguese.
He has won seven league titles in three countries, plus seven domestic trophies, a Uefa Cup, two Super Cups, an Intercontinental Cup and the Champions League.
The 63-year-old showed he is still in touch as he impressively took Netherlands to third place in the World Cup this summer before taking over at Old Trafford on a three-year contract.
For all the commonalities between Mourinho and Van Gaal, their philosophies on how the game should be played do deviate.
"He [Mourinho] trains to win. I train to play beautiful football and win. My way is more difficult," said Van Gaal before the 2010 Champions League final.
While the start of the new season has coincided with a more attacking approach to games from Chelsea, Mourinho's reputation remains one of the arch pragmatist who finds ways to win without overly considering the aesthetic quality of performances.
Yet the Blues have been the standout performers this season and travel to the 20-time champions as favourites on Sunday, even if they do not have Diego Costa in their ranks.
Mourinho's men are already 10 points ahead of United in the table, five points clear of second-placed Manchester City and are the only team yet to lose a match this season with the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Oscar and Eden Hazard playing with too much speed, skill and trickery for opponents in the final third.
It is the type of football that Van Gaal wants his teams to play but has been unable to implement so far at Old Trafford, with his squad heavily imbalanced and troubled by injury problems.
United have had a kind fixture list but have still only won three of their first eight league matches, with Chelsea's visit providing their first test against a side from last year's top four before the Manchester derby a week later.
Van Gaal may be tempted to revert to the cautious counterattacking tactics he used in big matches with Netherlands at the World Cup, but United's defence has conceded more goals (12) than any team in the top half and is unlikely to withstand the pressure.
United will improve as their big-money signings become more integrated in the squad, but they face a Chelsea team playing at the top of their game and a manager at the top of his profession.
Mourinho will want to show his old friend that he is the master now.
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