Mourinho vows to focus on his game, not on old rival Guardiola
Jose Mourinho has insisted he will always retain a capacity for controversy but claimed he will only play into the hands of other Premier League managers if he allowed himself to become obsessed by Pep Guardiola in Manchester. Mourinho and Guardiola are about to resume a bitter rivalry from their time coaching Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain as the new managers of Manchester United and Manchester City respectively.The pair used to be allies in the late 1990s at Barcelona, when Mourinho was an assistant coach and Guardiola a player, but their relationship has since deteriorated to the point at which they have become sworn adversaries. But, while the expectation is Mourinho and Guardiola will also clash in Manchester, the Portuguese believes it will be counterproductive to both of them if they allow their focus to be consumed by thoughts of the other and strengthen the prospects of other clubs delivering silverware.Speaking in Portugal, where he was attending a lecture at Lisbon University yesterday, Mourinho said: "My experience does not allow me to be innocent."I was with Guardiola two years in a league where me or he would be champion. Here, if I focus on him or he on me, the champion will be another [manager]."..
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