Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho were until very recently the two most dynamic managers in world football. Their histories, their past meetings and the personal rivalry they developed in Spain (later in England with the two big Manchester clubs) are explored in this excellent book.

The history of both managers is traced back to its source, all the way to the formative era of 'Total Football' at Ajax Amsterdam. Rinus Michels looms large, but casting an even bigger shadow is Johan Cruyff, the genius footballer who was a chief exponent of Ajax's tradition, carrying it into the ethic of the Dutch national team and finally to FC Barcelona. As manager and later godfather of the Catalan giant, Cruyff's teachings gained traction, certainly with Josep Guardiola, a midfielder developed within the club who improved as a consequence. Over the years, Pep would modify and adapt the 'Cruyffian' philosophy to his own management style, leading to some of the most devastating club sides of the last twelve years. At Barca, Bayern Munich and Manchester City, his tactics have delivered consistent and dominant success, and additionally have suggested a positive and entertaining way for football to be exhibited.

Mourinho's background is more humble than Guardiola's, though his time in management has lasted longer. First emerging as a translator for Bobby Robson during the English Mister's time in charge at the Camp Nou, Mourinho stuck around and then went into the managing of teams for himself, gaining prominence when he won the Champions League with Porto. Hugely successful spells at Chelsea and Internazionale followed, though Jose slowly pulled away from the Cruyffian method within which he developed his own philosophies. Favouring a defensive minded and counter-attacking approach, Mourinho's teams eschewed the Barca fundamentals of possession football and midfield passing to produce something akin to an anti-Cruyff game.

With Guardiola at Barca and Real Madrid hiring Mourinho, the pair entered into direct rivalry, which spilled over into bitterness and personal attacks on each other. As entertaining as this undoubtedly was for spectators and the media, this atmosphere took its toll. Stress levels grew as the stakes were raised to dizzying heights. Things continued when the pair took on opposing teams in the Premier League, but by now a certain fatigue crept into their exchanges. Mourinho's dazzle faded as he failed to transform Manchester United into winners again. At the Etihad, Guardiola continues but his lustre isn't what it was as Jurgen Klopp's 'third way' gains traction at Liverpool, and he hasn't yet achieved the Holy Grail of the Champions League with them.

Other people are raised as supporting characters, notably others in Cruyff's wake like Louis Van Gaal and Ronald Koeman. These are equally fascinating individuals, both strong-willed and there's something that's just good fun about following the ups and downs of Van Gaal. He doesn't suffer from a lack of self-belief, but delivered an inconsistent range of results as his methods either took or did not with his players. A Champions League winner at Ajax and successful with AZ Alkmaar and the Netherlands, Van Gaal ultimately fell, like Mourinho did later, at Old Trafford. Perhaps that says more about the situation at United than for either manager, both geniuses but unable to arrest a period of malaise at this massive club that prizes commercial success over what it produces on the pitch, and which relied wholly on the work of their predecessor, Sir Alex Ferguson.

Mourinho comes forth as a divisive character, not exactly likeable but certainly charismatic, carrying deep-rooted flaws that can contribute to his downfall in certain jobs. The book suggests that he did well at Porto, Chelsea and Inter because none of these teams were massive enough to be bigger than the manager and thereby allowed him to force his will and personality on who they signed and how they played. At Real and United, club traditions were far more consuming and diminished the Mourinho effect. Much is made of the ethic of Seniorito at the Bernabeu, the aim for gentlemanly conduct, which he undercut with his negative brand of football and his petty barbs at Guardiola.

As for Pep, it's easy to cast him as the good guy, ordering the more attractive style of play and suffering for his passion to impose success and his ethics on the sides he's managed. But in the end he's every bit as obsessive as Jose, and you're left to imagine the sheer toll his emphasis on endless work and obsession has taken on him and on others. The football he wants might be joyful, but the effort to achieve it seems to be anything but.

It's a fascinating book, a deep dive into the backgrounds of two of the most dominant characters within the game in the past two decades. It refuses to get bogged down in turgid tactical discussion and places as much emphasis on the human beings involved, their personal strengths and weakness that translate into the ups and downs of the teams they have coached.