Arrivals of Guardiola, Mourinho have drawn world's attention to Manchester

MANCHESTER, England -- Readers of the Catalan daily newspaper Sport have had a new feature to enjoy in recent weeks, since the publication sent a correspondent to Manchester to cover United and City.

Several young Spanish journalists will follow the fortunes of Jose Mourinho and Josep Guardiola -- he's not known as Pep in quality Catalan papers -- who will resume a rivalry that mostly simmered and sometimes steamed when they were in charge of Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively, between 2010-12. Interest in the pair remains high and battle lines are drawn along the Clasico rivalry: Castilians tend to favour Mourinho, Catalans prefer Guardiola.

The interest is mirrored elsewhere, with several of the major European papers having sent correspondents to Manchester in recent weeks to write colourful features. Lu Martin works for another Spanish paper, El Pais, and came to talk to the owners of independent record shops in the city's Northern Quarter area and wrote positively about Manchester, the city.

Martin knew Mourinho well when he worked under Louis van Gaal at Barcelona 20 years ago and is also well-acquainted with Guardiola.

"Jose came out with us the night before most European away games," recalls Martin of Mourinho's time at Barca. "He was great company, like a kindly uncle. I went with him and a photographer to Belgrade to scout Red Star ahead of a European game."

On that same trip, the car in which they were travelling got a flat tire. Mourinho cursed, suspecting it was deliberate because someone knew he was responsible for scouting the Red Star team. He was the only one of three who knew how to change the tire.

The Manchester media is playing up the rivalry as well, although football has always been front and back page news, something Guardiola and Mourinho see on their walks through the city centre.

For now, until his home is ready, the United manager is staying with his seven-strong coaching staff in the Lowry hotel on the Salford side of the River Irwell. Mourinho is the figurehead and wants to deal with the media head on. His assistants stay in the background, faces on a bench or behind their boss in paparazzi photos.

Guardiola, meanwhile, is renting an apartment just a few hundred metres down the river, which flows into the Manchester Ship Canal and passes within 200 metres of Old Trafford. The two managers are charged with waking giants who fell into a slumber last season despite having the highest wage bills in the Premier League.

Louis van Gaal's style of football drained enthusiasm from United fans over 100 games. Meanwhile, Manuel Pellegrini is an intelligent man but came across as boring with the media -- though that was something City wanted after the bombastic Roberto Mancini.

There was little spark in a city where fans want entertainment, but that has changed rapidly. United fans haven't been so optimistic since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down three years ago. As well as Mourinho's arrival, the signings of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Eric Bailly and, earlier this week, Paul Pogba for a world record fee, have not only lifted spirits off the floor, but sent them off the scale.

United's last two games have resulted in winning trophies at Wembley, David De Gea has stayed and the new signings are driving rival fans crazy, which is how United fans like it after three seasons of being laughed at while watching insipid football. They are at their belligerent best when they feel like it's them against the world.

At the club's Carrington training ground, the mood is excellent, and Mourinho has made a positive first impression with players and staff. Reserve players are more involved in first-team training, while Pogba was all smiles when he was introduced to the squad, hugging those he once played with, like his old mate Jesse Lingard.

United have enjoyed a summer of fantasy signings, but that optimism has to be married with reality once the Premier League season starts. After finishing fifth last season, the jump to becoming champions would be huge.

"They'll talk about challenging for the league and that's the expectancy of the club, but realistically a top-four finish is good for United," says former Republic of Ireland international and current pundit Kevin Kilbane. "I think it might be a struggle hitting the expectations. Just because Jose Mourinho is here, it doesn't mean that everything is going to be hunky dory."

Kilbane is of the opinion that a strong United is good for the Premier League -- "I want to see them back at the top; it's what I've grown up with" -- but the club are aware than fan expectations might need to be checked and that new signings will not necessarily be a standout, title-winning footballer from the first month.

Recent big names to arrive at Old Trafford, such as Angel Di Maria, Radamel Falcao and Bastian Schweinsteiger ,have struggled to make an impact, but the latest signings appear to have been better thought-out and planned than in recent years. They've also joined before the first league game.

City's signings, who include Nolito, John Stones and Leroy Sane, have been of a lower profile than United's, but Guardiola is an exceptional manager, who has been consistently successful at every one of his clubs as a player and coach.

Like those of United, City supporters were underwhelmed by what they saw last season. They won the League Cup and reached the Champions League semifinals but only finished in the top four thanks to a superior goal difference over their crosstown rivals. Guardiola's arrival, though, has whetted appetites.

"Our buys have been excellent," says City season-ticket holder Chris Beswick. "We've bought fast, young players which bodes well for the next few years. If [Sergio] Aguero stays fit and we get a settled back four instead of changing it every week, then I think we've a chance."

There is one note of caution, adds Beswick: "No European football for Chelsea and Liverpool will give them a big advantage for the league, but Manchester is a great place to be at the moment."

So how does he feel about United?

"I think Luke Shaw will be your best asset this year," says Beswick. "Pogba is a good player, but let's see how he adapts to the Premier League. Ibrahimovic has had a great career but is he up to the demands week-in, week-out? Will he be Cantona or Falcao?"

In the warm glow of a fresh start, past conflicts might have been forgotten for now. But have they gone away?

"Working with Mourinho again is one big reason Zlatan chose United," says Swedish journalist Johanna Franden, who has followed Ibrahimovic from country to country. "His last season at Inter (2008-09) with Mourinho was pretty spectacular, but the legacy and aftermath only concentrates on happy mutual feelings between the pair. It is true that the two of them have, at best, a great connection.

"It is also true that, by the end of that one season at Inter Milan, very reliable voices from the dressing room talked about how the two of them were sometimes seconds away from getting physical, Franden continues. "I think they were like two planets, or even solar systems that, when in the same orbit, really work well together and respect each other a lot. The risk of one ego clashing with the other is always going to be there, though."

That could be an issue for United and City. Like every club, they will have their own as well. But which of Manchester's big two will perform better in 2016-17?

"Depends on which team gets off to the best start as I can only see us getting stronger," says Beswick. "Whichever team gets off to a bad start, the press will jump on them. Mourinho is under more pressure with the Pogba signing and how he left Chelsea."

It is four years since Manchester boasted the top two teams in England, but City, followed by United, are the first and second favourites to win the league in 2016-17. At present, though, there remain more questions than answers.

More will become clear from the season kickoff this weekend and then, four weeks later on Sept. 10, when United host City at Old Trafford. As El Pais concluded in their recent piece: "The world looks to Mou and Pep. The world looks to Manchester."

Andy Mitten is a freelance writer and the founder and editor of United We Stand. Follow him on Twitter @AndyMitten.