Battle of the Bosses: Wenger's new nadir, Jose channels Fergie

Oh Arsene. It’s getting a bit sad now. Not even the battle in the skies above the Hawthorns could distract from the humiliating defeat meted out to Arsenal on the pitch, with . At this point not even Arsenal Fan TV truly reflects the frustration felt by the club’s support.

Getting out-tacticked by Tony Pulis is a bit like being beaten to an Oscar by Michael Bay - both men are successful at what they do, but neither are masterminds of their respective fields. Yet Wenger found himself out-thought by a man who thinks it’s entirely normal to stand while holding a press conference. And you thought Bayern Munich was the nadir of his Arsenal career?

Manchester City may have just all but conceded any chance they had of catching Chelsea at the top of the table, but Pep Guardiola was in no mood for commiserations. “You cannot imagine. It is one of happiest days of my career as a manager,” he said after the 1-1 home draw against Liverpool.

“I am so proud. After the Champions League, the last few days at training people were so, so, sad, people don’t talk too much.” But Guardiola’s joy wasn’t exactly authentic. Did he slyly knock back a Xanax as he walked up the tunnel at full time? That’s surely the only explanation for a press conference that also saw him describe the size of John Stones’ stones.

“We will probably lose on Sunday,” Jose Mourinho insisted after Thursday’s Europa League win over Rostov, puffing out his cheeks in a huff with the Premier League, the FA, UEFA and anyone else who dare schedule a game for Manchester United to play.

On the basis of his starting line-up at the Riverside, Mourinho also set up his team to lose. Anthony Martial and Henrikh Mkhitaryan were both left on the bench as he rotated his United squad. Ultimately, it was just what was needed, though, as the visitors won 3-1, with a little help from Agent Victor Valdes. Well played, Jose.

More than once this season a television producer has surely asked to turn up Claude Puel’s microphone. Indeed, the Southampton is a graduate of the seen and not heard school of management, but he made sure he was heard after his side’s defeat to Spurs on Sunday, bemoaning the performance of referee Andre Marriner.

“It's difficult to accept the second goal,” Puel said. “If the referee gives penalty for the first (to Tottenham) then he needed to give penalty for us. I cannot see the difference.” He was referring to the tackle made by Ben Davis on Dusan Tadic which prompted an angry response from Puel on the touchline. He tutted rather loudly.

Claudio Ranieri probably thought he’d suffered his last mention in this section when he was sacked as Leicester City manager last month, but the Foxes’ reaction since his dismissal has him back here again. Craig Shakespeare has won four out of four since taking over, with Leicester now out of trouble at the foot of the Premier League and into the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

It begs the question - how did Ranieri get it so badly wrong this season? Did he forbid Jamie Vardy’s pre-match Lucozade bottle filled with port? Did he mock Kasper Schmeichel by claiming Olivier Giroud, not he, is the most handsome player in English football? The Italian might have been the driving force behind football’s greatest ever upset, but it’s only now becoming clear just how horrible a horrible boss he was this season.

Having been there since October, Manchester United finally moved out of sixth place on Saturday… into seventh place. Everton’s win over Hull City moved them momentarily above Mourinho’s side, but by beating Middlesbrough on Sunday United leapfrogged both the Toffees and Arsenal into fifth place.

That was something to celebrate, with Mourinho nearly landing one on a security guard as he swung a clenched fist around his head at full time. Man Utd’s win at the Riverside was reminiscent of the way they used to win matches under Sir Alex Ferguson, when he could get away with playing Fabio and John O’Shea in the centre of midfield no matter the match or occasion.

Mourinho went with Phil Jones at left back on Sunday, also using Marouane Fellaini as an auxiliary forward, and still found a way to win. Fergie, a man who at times seemingly handed out positions to his players by tombola, must have been proud.