Pardew: Mourinho more of a winner than Guardiola

The former West Ham boss believes that Mourinho is unfairly criticised and that the Portuguese's ability to win trophies is unparalleled. 

Guardiola's City are currently flying high at the top of the Premier League, holding a 14-point game on second place having played a game more, but Pardew insists that Mourinho still has the edge on the Spaniard because of his ability to get results.

"Jose and myself would love to win a game 4-0 playing flamboyant football," he said.

"You can't do that, you just have to find a way to win sometimes. That's the thing he does better than anyone else, including Pep. He wins more trophies.

"He gets a lot of criticism which I think is unfounded.

"You get to the Community Shield by winning the Premier League or FA Cup. Then that's another trophy. I don't understand why people don't think it's a trophy. His targets and what he does are about winning. Simple as that.

"As managers of course, particularly if you're manager of Manchester United, you're going to get criticised. Sir Alex Ferguson got criticised and went through periods where fans were baying for him.

"It comes with the territory and Jose's strong enough and big enough to win trophies, which I'm sure he's going to do."

Finally, Pardew also lauded Mourinho's ability to instill defensive solidity in his sides, insisting that it is an underrated skill in the modern game.

"There's always been two sides to winning football matches, defensive discipline and offensive prowess. You have to get the balance right," Pardew explained.

"There are times people would like Jose to be more offensive, but you look at United's defensive record - it's pretty good.

"It's about personnel and having the right criteria. I am of the opinion there's beauty in the game at both ends of the pitch."