Jose vs Pep – Their Most Important Encounter Yet?

The Premier League is set to return this weekend and while may fans may have enjoyed certain aspects of the international break, most will be happy to see the return of the league that many consider to be the best in all of Europe.

That may or may not be true, but one thing that is simply undeniable is that this season, so far, has been incredibly entertaining. From dramatic late goals to huge scorelines to plenty of surprises, we’ve been left with a Premier League table that truly does not resemble anything we’ve seen over the course of the last few decades.

That trend is almost certainly going to continue, and the next step of that will be this weekend as we look forward to a whole host of entertaining fixtures.

In truth, though, there is one that really does stand out above the rest: Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City.

These two juggernauts of English football have had their fair share of ups and downs over the years but now, they’re consistently viewed as two of the best clubs in the country – and potentially even on the continent.

They aren’t known to have a particularly passionate recent history outside of that famous Crouch header and their Champions League knockout encounter a few years ago, but now, we’re in an era where two of the best managers of their generation are on either side of the fence – Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola.

It’s not a stretch to suggest that these two have had a handful of disagreements over the years, which comes with the territory as a high-powered manager. Alas, even with that being the case, they’re both just as hungry to win and succeed as they’ve ever been before.

Tottenham are five points and eight places above City in the Premier League table right now, although the latter do have a game in hand that could see them catch up. This comes despite the fact that City have undeniably played better football at times this season than Spurs, but have just not been able to pick up as many important results.

The popular opinion for a while now has been that Mourinho is washed up but we’re starting to think that isn’t the case at all. The Portuguese boss has put together one hell of a squad in North London, and while his playing style may seem a bit outdated, he’s doing what he needs to do to make an impact.

Pep, on the other hand, has just signed a new deal to stay at the Etihad, which gives you an idea of where his head is at. He feels as if he’s got some unfinished business in Manchester – whether it be in regaining the EPL title or claiming the Champions League crown – and Mourinho could end up being the biggest obstacle for him in either one of those fields.

Even if he isn’t, you can bet that a game like Spurs vs City is going to have some unexpected fireworks.