Antonio Conte had no trouble comparing his style to Pep Guardiola's when they were both midfielders. 'I ran more than him, but he thought more than me,' smiled Conte.
As coaches, it is not so simple. More aspects are hidden and assumed but on Saturday in Manchester their teams will collide for the first time.
Guardiola was the coach coveted for so long by Roman Abramovich to give Chelsea the identity he feared they were lacking. Conte was identified by Manchester City as the back-up plan if Guardiola could not be prised away from Bayern Munich.
City got their first choice and Chelsea swooped for Conte, who appears to be in the process of delivering Abramovich the high-energy brand of attacking and appealing football he craved.