Arsenal FC manager Arsene Wenger has taken a dig at Chelsea FC manager Jose Mourinho, claiming that it was former manager Claudio Ranieri who laid the foundation for the success that was to follow at Stamford Bridge.
Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger have forever been at a war of words and the rivalry has been recently been reignited in light of Chelsea’s controversial win over Arsenal last weekend. Mourinho even slammed the Frenchman in his pre-match press conference ahead of the tie against Newcastle, suggesting that only one manager in the entire league was not under pressure. Although Mourinho did not name the aforementioned manager, all signs point towards Wenger.
In his thinly veiled dig at Wenger, Mourinho said:
a This other one can speak about referees before the game, he can speak about referees after the game, he can push people in the technical area, he can cry in the morning, cry in the afternoon and nothing happens. He can not achieve and keep the job, still be the king, ita s a privilege.a
“He built the team that was so successful at the start”- Wenger on Ranieri
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However, at his own press conference, Wenger heaped praise on his opponent for Saturday’s clash, Claudio Ranieri, while undermining Jose Mourinho’s initial success at Stamford Bridge. Wenger supported his argument by pointing out that many first-teamers in the mould of John Terry, Frank Lampard, Claude Makelele, William Gallas and Marcel Desailly were already at the club when the Portuguese took over.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, as quoted by the club’s official website, Wenger said:
a Against Claudio it was difficult because when he left Chelsea, he built the team that was so successful at the start.
a I remember them finishing second in the league with Ranieri and the team was upcoming with young players like John Terry and Frank Lampard who were the players that contributed to the success of Chelsea.
The Frenchman added: a I think he deserves a lot of respect and I dona t see him as a a tinkermana . Look at the Chelsea team when he left: they all survived after. They were on the way up when he left. He did a great job. He bought Frank Lamparda they had Terry, Desailly, Gallas. They already had a very strong team.
Arsene Wenger’s side take on Ranieri’s Leicester City, who currently sit one place above the Gunners and are unbeaten in the league so far.