Arsene Wenger resumes his rivalry with Jose Mourinho and as much as the boss attempts to play down the confrontation between the two managers on Sunday, it will be an interesting subplot to the London derby.
Those who’ve observed the constant back and forth’s between the two will cast their minds back to 2005 and Mourinho’s introduction to the Premier League.
If the mainstream media are to be believed, the origin of this rivalry is Mourinho realising that Wenger was a feasible target and one that he could conquer verbally and mentally.
The fact of the matter is, Mourinho came to England at a time when Wenger was the best manager in Europe and had just created a team that went an entire league campaign without defeat. In his eyes, he was aiming to take-on the top dog.
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However, as we aimed to facilitate a new stadium with many players departing, the competitiveness on the pitch between the two clubs dwindled. Despite that, constant barbs were still traded from both camps which suggest that Mourinho’s obsession with Wenger goes beyond the pitch.
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Constantly referring to the boss having a “dream job” (via Sky Sports), and previous irritation regarding claims that Arsenal play better football than Chelsea could be enough to suggest that the Blues boss is actually the one affected by Wenger’s presence.
For a man referred to as the ‘mind game king’, few can rattle Mourinho like Wenger can and even though our manager’s public image is held-up as him being classy figure, he’s still capable of throwing the odd jab.
After our win against Reading last week where Wenger was informed of the Chelsea vs Man United result; to which he replied: “1-0? The usual.” (via the Mirror)
Here are some of the classic comments from both camps. How we’d love it if Wenger turns Mourinho over on Sunday.
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