Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola
Jose Mourinho (left) and Pep Guardiola at Old Trafford in September Getty Images

Zenit St Petersburg coach Mircea Lucescu has accused Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola of being more arrogant than Jose Mourinho. The 71-year-old Romanian has claimed that contrary to popular opinion, the City boss is more self-important than his Premier League rival.

Guardiola and Mourinho are long-time adversaries from their time in Spain's La Liga, where they managed Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively, and they have recently been united in the Premier League. Lucescu - who has encountered both men during his extensive coaching career - has claimed Mourinho is the more humble of the two.

"Mourinho is an amazing guy, but my way of understanding football is totally different because I have an offensive mentality," he told Dolce Sport of the Manchester United coach. "All my teams have broken records for goals. Mourinho seems more arrogant than Guardiola but it is exactly the opposite. Either way, both are great coaches."

Guardiola's City side defeated Mourinho's United team 2-1 at Old Trafford earlier this season. Following the much-discussed game, Guardiola revealed he did not share a post-match drink with his United counterpart.

"We didn't have the time," the City manager said, according to the BBC. Prior to the derby, however, Guardiola insisted he would be happy to share a post-match drink with the United boss.

"If he invites me to do that I will accept," Guardiola said, according to the Guardian. "I have said many times I have a lot of respect for him. I always try to learn from all my colleagues and opponents and I learn from him as well."