Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho: Premier League’s latest bitter managerial rivalry

Their sides may be lagging behind in the Premier League race, but Antonio Conte-Jose Mourinho rivalry has become the most talked about topic from England

Sir Alex Ferguson vs Arsene Wenger. Brian Clough vs Don Revie. Jose Mourinho vs Arsene Wenger. English football has seen some intense managerial rivalries over the years, with the animosity often translating to some mouthwatering football on the pitch. The latest might just become a stuff for the ages too.

Jose Mourinho – a man who is no stranger to controversy, and taking a jibe or two towards some of his counterparts – is mired in yet another bitter feud with a fellow manager. It all started with a seemingly harmless, albeit snarky barb in a press conference, but has now blown up into a full-fledged tit-for-tat enmity with neither manager backing down.

To be perfectly honest, Mourinho has never quite seen eye to eye with Antonio Conte. But, what has largely been an uneasy relationship up until now has turned extremely hostile over the last few weeks. Where did it go all wrong, though?

The first meeting (on the shores of England) between two of the most powerful men in English football right now came in a 4-0 humiliation that Chelsea dished out to Manchester United, and former manager Mourinho in October 2016.

As referee Martin Atkinson blew the full-time whistle, Mourinho proceeded to shake Conte’s hand. But, instead of congratulating his counterpart on a job well done, the Manchester United boss had a few choice words to fill his ears, criticising the Italian for humiliating him through his excessive celebrations.

Seemingly, that was only the start of one of the biggest feuds of English football in recent history. Since then, both managers have been embroiled in several war of words, but none of them has been as bitter and hostile as the latest one.

Mourinho, in a press conference ahead of Manchester United’s FA Cup tie against Derby County, made a statement about how him not reacting in a certain manner during matches did not mean that he had lost the passion for the job. This is what he had said:

“Because I don’t behave as a clown on the touchline it means I lost my passion? I prefer to do it the way I do it. Much more mature, better for my team and myself. You don’t have to behave like a crazy guy on the touchline. The way a person is dedicated to his work, not what you do in front of the cameras.”

Did Mourinho have someone in mind when he made that comment? Was it Jurgen Klopp? Was it one of his oldest rivals, Pep Guardiola? Or was it Conte, the man who took a shattered Chelsea side that Mourinho had left and made them the champions of England, with a few tweaks?

Or was it just simply Mourinho honouring his words of becoming more mature, not having any particular manager in mind? History suggests that it is likely to be the former rather than the latter. But, whatever he may or may not have meant, Conte, who is known to be animated on the touchline, was the first – and the only – manager to respond to the barb.

What has transpired since then is by far the ugliest rivalry that has transpired over the last 18 months. Conte’s response to Mourinho’s comments were hardly called for and the Chelsea manager, among other things, suggested that the Portuguese could be suffering from “demenza senile“.

One really doesn’t need to hire a translator to understand what Conte could have been saying, and it was rather undignified for someone who is hailed as one of the classier managers in the game. When asked for clarification, Carlo Cudicini said he meant amnesia, which still remained an unnecessary, uncalled for jibe.

Unsurprisingly, it was Mourinho who didn’t hold back when his turn came once again. While he did admit that he had crossed the proverbial line in the past, his final comment on the matter went on to stoke the fire to such an extent that it does not look like it can be doused.

“What never happened to me – and will never happen – is to be suspended for match-fixing. That never happened to me and will never happen,” said Mourinho as this time, he made no bones about who he was talking about in a blunt manner, although Conte was exonerated after an investigation.

The final – and only – low blow in this matter by Mourinho struck a nerve as Conte went on to call the Portuguese “fake” and “a little man”, concluding the war of words on his part by saying that he will never “forget this”.

That has, so far, been the end of the verbal tussle, although with Manchester United and Chelsea set to face next month, one can’t really rule out a further barrage of “strong words” as Conte has called it.

What this has done is set up the aforementioned match at Old Trafford brilliantly, and one can definitely expect the two to exchange some words, which could also possibly translate into some fireworks on the pitch.

Whether this ends up being it or not, Fabio Capello has perhaps made the most sensible comment on the issue, saying that the duo are “totally out of their minds”, which they undoubtedly are, considering just how many times they’ve crossed certain limits that should not be crossed by professionals working in the game.

In the end though, Conte’s initial remarks on a seemingly harmless comment by Mourinho sparked a fire that was not there to be set in the first place. But, Conte isn’t the first manager to deal with Mourinho, and he certainly won’t be the last, and based on his comments he certainly has to face the jibes coming his way.

Only time will tell how the latest Mourinho spat meets its end, but it certainly will continue next month when Manchester United “welcome” Chelsea to Old Trafford. Watch this space.