Italy v England: Sir Alex Ferguson Vs Jose Mourinho - Who Is The Best Manager In The World?

Manchester United facing Inter doesn't exactly scream 'spectacle'. Cristiano Ronaldo versus Zlatan Ibrahimovic, like many player-v-player battles, is unlikely to ever live up to the hype - it is a team sport, after all. Fellow league champions facing off as part of an Anglo-Italian war may be of mild interest, until it becomes painfully obvious that regardless of the outcome, neither set of supporters will alter their unrelenting, blinkered perspective on who rules the football world. It's still England - wait, no, it's Italy - it all becomes a bit pointless.
The only factor that has captured one and all's attention is the battle for supremacy between arguably the two best managers in the world - certainly of those managing at club level - and at present, there are a variety of reasons to back either one of Sir Alex Ferguson or Jose Mourinho.
Head to head, as sporting greats have so often been judged in the past, present and no doubt into the future, Jose has the edge. Often, encounters between the two have ended all square, but the Portuguese has beaten Sir Alex six times to the Scot's single victory. There have been six draws, including the goalless first leg encounter at San Siro.
But to not delve deeper than mere results would be careless. Those in Fergie's flock would immediately point to a United team still in transition when Jose landed at Stamford Bridge, and also the millions dropped at his feet that facilitated his (and indeed Claudio Ranieri's before him) high-powered assault on the transfer market. Mourinho men would counter that, millions or not, his arrival signalled a transition in itself; one very different but arguably presenting an equal number of challenges; one that the young hot-shot simply negotiated to greater effect than the elder statesmen.
The 'Special One' took matters even further in the build-up to this tie, declaring that the current world-conquering United side are only where they are because of him. His arrival in England commanded a higher level of performance from the Premier League's elite than had been the case in previous seasons. Competition became far more intense at the top. Maybe because more teams than usual were involved, maybe because of Roman Abramovich's then-bottomless pockets - Jose will maintain that it was him - but in actuality, it seemed to be a fairly indeterminable balance between the three.
Not only did Mourinho nab the head-to-head accolades, but he also snapped up far more silverware during his time in London, winning two Premier Leagues, two League Cups, an FA Cup and a Community Shield, compared to Fergie's solitary Premier League and League Cup titles during that time. Jose also enjoyed greater success in the Champions League, though neither side managed to make it to the final up until his departure, after which they infamously went on to meet each other in Moscow in that same season.
So far, it's hard to look past the Special One, but now we are looking at a side with a fully-blossomed Cristiano Ronaldo, a reinvented Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, a better Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra, that No. 9 (who's still not 'really' a No. 9) Dimitar Berbatov. The transition is as good as complete and United well and truly look the part. They proved it in the last, and by far most relevant, head-to-head between Sir Alex and Jose.
So still, the to and fro leads us to no discernable conclusion. It is perhaps the pair's political prowess when playing mind games in the media that makes them so inseparable. They both know how to fight their case, no matter how sublime or ridiculous. Ferguson was considered a firebrand and quite a remarkable personality for his time, but in that respect, even the man himself would most likely admit he cannot compete with Mourinho. The man is unlike anything we have ever seen before, and while his smooth talking and contagious charisma may not translate to anything directly related to the bear bones of football, the role it plays in management simply cannot be underestimated. He brought together strangers from all parts into one team in west London and before long, they were playing like the 1967 European Cup winning Celtic side, who were all born within a stone's throw of their stadium.
Already, Mourinho is commanding such respect, and this is before having even established a longevity even in the same solar system as Sir Alex. It will be the true test of the Inter coach's character, as to whether he can sustain his hunger for success and adapt so admirably with the times for long enough to hang up his overcoat with a track record and trophy haul that bears any kind of resemblance to that of the wily old Scot. Jose has already suggested his career is very much goal-oriented and finite, while Sir Alex's undying love for the game has already seen him go back on his retirement plans, with many suspecting he will continue to do so.
And maybe that will always be the difference. It would be agonising to attempt to separate them by silverware, particularly due to the different eras in which they each accumilated their crown jewels and the obvious distinction between the length of their careers so far. Tactically, both have been detrimentally rigid and inspirationally innovative in equal measure over time - and the same can be said of their pick-and-choosing in the transfer market. Mourinho is comparable to Fabio Capello: a ruthless, fear-inducing, respect-commanding champion, moving from club to club to maintain his enthusiasm and undertake new projects, then calling it a day before going entirely grey. The two of them have won and continue to win almost like no other before them - including Ferguson.