Given how prestigious both clubs are, only two managers have had the honour to manage both sides
On Sunday, i.e., November 3, Manchester United played host to Chelsea at Old Trafford for a Premier League clash. Those who have closely followed the Premier League in the last 10 years know that for Chelsea, this is another crucial match at the Theatre of Dreams—a venue that has turned into the Theatre of Pain for the Blues, having not won a single game since 2013 when a Rafa Benitez-led Chelsea triumphed by 1-0.
Well, that's another piece of Chelsea history kept for another article, but in this piece, we have written a brief about the only two managers who have had the honour to manage both Chelsea and Manchester United.
The first name is Jose Mourinho, a manager whose accomplishments at Chelsea and Manchester United are well known. Overall, Mourinho has a massive fan base in the football fraternity. However, it's the second name that made us a little curious because, despite a wee bit of knowledge about football, David James Sexton's name went completely off our minds.
After taking over as manager of Chelsea in 1967, Dave Sexton stayed at Stamford Bridge until 1974. Sexton, who is renowned for his tactical acumen and composed demeanour, led Chelsea to an FA Cup triumph in 1970 after defeating Leeds United. Under him, Chelsea also defeated Real Madrid to win the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1971, which was also Chelsea's first major European trophy. Sexton played a key role in creating a competent and cohesive club; therefore, his impact on Chelsea is well-remembered. However, in his last season, he had a fallout with several players, and Chelsea also suffered relegation.
The late James Sexton at Chelsea
Sexton's stint at Manchester United was not worth remembering given during his four-year stay, United only witnessed United lifting zero trophies. There were only three highlights of Sexton's so-called accomplishment at United, i.e., a shared FA Charity Shield in 1977, a Football League First Division runner-up in 1979–80 and a runner-up finish in the FA Cup in 1978–79. Although it must be recalled that the legendary Ray Wilkins was roped by him from Chelsea.
While winning the Champions League with Porto gave Mourinho the tag of the "Special One", it was during his first stint at Chelsea that he made sure that the moniker remained safe till the end of time. Mourinho was the manager who gave Chelsea its first league title in 50 years, followed by another win in 2005-2006. Not to forget, when he returned for his second stint, he again lifted the Premier League trophy in 2014-2015. Other trophies, such as the FA Cup, Community Shield, and Football League Cup, also followed.
Mourinho had a short stint at United, spending two years at Old Trafford, but ended up winning three trophies—the EFL Cup, Europa League, and FA Community Shield—in 2016-2017. In the following season, Mourinho also finished second in the Premier League table, the best ever after Sir Alex Ferguson's departure. Despite not winning the league, his side was hard to beat, the very opposite of how things faltered under Ten Hag. However, in a typical Mourinho sense, performance also dipped, whereas fallouts with players became evident. A series of losses saw Mourinho depart the club, but in our opinion, he is the best that United has had after Sir Ferguson.
Up next, it will be the turn of interim head coach Rutgerus Johannes Martinus van Nistelrooij to handle United's ongoing dilemma. On the other hand, Chelsea will aim to register its first victory at Trafford in a span of 10 years.
