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If Jose Mourinho had prodded, gesticulated and ranted at an opposition player there would have been a communique from the Football Association detailing his latest improper conduct charge. Mourinho, the man billed an 'enemy of football' for daring to criticise a referee, is never going to generate swathes of sympathy for dismissals, but because of the FA's victimisation of him, the flashpoint between Pep Guardiola and Nathan Redmond has already become a Mourinho versus Guardiola issue ahead of next week's Manchester derby. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/man-utd-news-guardiola-mourinho-13974142#share=true&playerID=6345b443e2192e5564ba30abc7.y34vu6acsp9x1pu8t337ybx5r&time=0&vid=119ytc9j2efop1r7s9xx8ampkr For those who have not seen it, Guardiola confronted Nathan Redmond after Manchester City's dramatic victory over Southampton on Wednesday night, animatedly patted him and ranted at the winger as he approached the tunnel.
"I was telling Nathan Redmond how good he is at the end," Guardiola said. "Southampton have some super talented players, Redmond is so good one against one. But they didn’t want to play, they were time wasting from the ninth minute. I just wanted them to play." It is an explanation to launch a thousand gifs from United fans of Ron Burgundy remarking 'Don't believe you.' Arsenal reveal Mesut Ozil stance ahead of United fixture Guardiola is prone to eagerly motivating his players as if he is performing in a pantomime but his behaviour towards Redmond appeared intimidating, like a Catalan Martin Keown. Keown was suspended for three matches after his treatment of Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2003. It is unacceptable behaviour and Guardiola's antics could mark a watershed moment in the FA's inconsistent handling of managers. Coincidentally, Antonio Conte was sent to the stands for the first time in his Chelsea career on Wednesday night. Conte can be as antagonistic as a Donald Trump tweet and, like Trump, his behaviour has usually gone unpunished. Jurgen Klopp is another coach who has remarkably escaped censure for his overzealous behaviour and it is a bugbear for Mourinho.
"The rules for me are different," Mourinho insisted after United drew with Hull in January. "I don't want to speak much because I pay lots of fines. I pay more than others, much more than others. For example, yesterday one manager [Klopp against Chelsea] was told by an official 'I love your emotion'." Klopp had aggressively celebrated Simon Mignolet's denial of Diego Costa's penalty the previous night by squaring up to fourth official Neil Swarbrick, who feebly smiled and did not report the offence. Michael Oliver similarly wasn't tough enough when Joe Hart butted heads with him in an attempt to get Chris Smalling booked during the November 2014 derby. Hart succeeded. "You know clearly I am different," Mourinho added. "The rules for me are different." He has a point. When Mourinho committed the heinous crime of punting a water bottle against West Ham a year ago, a three-man FA panel concluded Mourinho had 'endangered people around him'. Mourinho served a one-game touchline ban for that whereas Arsene Wenger justifiably received an apology for doing the same thing seven years earlier at Old Trafford.
Guardiola's conduct was not comparable with Wenger when he lost it and began man-handling fourth official Anthony Taylor, or Alan Pardew's headbutt on David Meyler nearly four years ago. "It has to be the same for every manager," Mourinho said after he kicked a water bottle against West Ham last year. "It has to be the same."
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