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On Sunday when Manchester United and Arsenal come face-to-face it will not only be about winning three points, but also about the respective managers of both clubs.
For many years Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho have taken their managerial rivalry to a whole new level. The pair have often riled one another, getting under each other’s skin pre and post games in the past.
On Sunday the atmosphere in Manchester is bound to be the most receptive that Arsenal and Wenger will ever receive at Old Trafford. This is due to the fact that the Frenchman has announced he will depart the London club at the end of the season following a 22-year stint at the helm.
When Mourinho spoke in his presser on Friday, he indicated that the Man United faithful will give Wenger a wonderful send off, but the narrative has not always been the same between the Portuguese and the out-going manager.
Both managers have previously exchanged words, with their rivalry once escalating into a touchline feud where Wenger and Mourinho nearly exchanged blows.
Below, we take a look at five of the famous rants between the two managers:
#5 Mourinho referred to Wenger as a “voyeur”
In 2005 Jose Mourinho had just led Chelsea to conquer England by claiming the Premier League trophy in his debut season. However, not everyone was enthused by the Portuguese manager’s style of football.
Arsene Wenger, whose unbeaten Arsenal side had just been dethroned as champions, was one of Mourinho’s critics and chided the former Porto boss for his dogged approach to games.
“I know we live in a world where we have only winners and losers, but once a sport encourages teams who refuse to take the initiative, the sport is in danger,” Wenger said.
However, Mourinho did not take kindly to those words and responded in equally measure, describing the Frenchman as a “voyeur”.
“Wenger has a real problem with us and I think he is what you call in England a voyeur. He is someone who likes to watch other people. There are some guys who, when they are at home, have this big telescope to look into the homes of other people and see what is happening. Wenger must be one of them – it is a sickness,” the Portuguese ranted.
#4 Stupid Mourinho! – Wenger couldn’t hold it anymore
Sometime in November 2007, Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger were at it again. This time it was about a lawsuit the Frenchman threatened against the then Chelsea manager.
Rather than take a relaxed stance, Mourinho called out the Arsenal manager, saying he was ready to see him in court.
“At Stamford Bridge, we have a file of quotes from Mr Wenger about Chelsea football club in the last 12 months – it is not a file of five pages. It is a file of 120 pages,” the Portuguese said at the time.
These word really got Wenger worked up, with the Frenchman issuing a sharp riposte where he described Mourinho as “stupid” and “disrespectful”.
“He’s out of order, disconnected with reality and disrespectful. When you give success to stupid people, it makes them more stupid sometimes and not more intelligent,” Wenger ranted.
#3 Near blows on the touchline
Managers are supposed to do their talking in the changing room, however, that was not always the case for Jose Mourinho and Arsenal Wenger.
The pair most often had their exchanges in the press room, but in October 2014 the narrative was different when both managers decided to take their rivalry to the extreme.
During Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, Mourinho appeared irked by Wenger’s constant complains to the fourth official and decided to chide the Frenchman. However, the Arsenal manager took exception to that and moved across to shove the Portuguese. It nearly became a battle of fists but for the timely intervention of the fourth official.
In the aftermath, Wenger was apologetic for starting the melee, saying “In hindsight I think I should not have reacted at all. It’s not a way to behave on a football field.”
However, Mourinho was in no mood to accept it, insisting he would have been banned by the FA had he been the culprit.
"I’m not surprised, I’m not surprised. (Me) charged? Charged? If it was me it would have been a stadium ban,” he angrily fumed.
#2 Manager with the aim to finish 4th – Mourinho jabs
If there is anyone who underestimated the managerial rivalry between Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho, then certainly the Portuguese put that matter to bed in 2016.
Following his sack at Chelsea in December 2016, Mourinho still found time to poke fun at his rival, insisting he is not like other managers who fail to win a trophy at a club yet still manage to keep their jobs.
He further incensed Wenger by suggesting the Frenchman is a manager who aims at finishing in fourth position each year.
“There are some managers, the last time they won a title was 10 years ago, the last time I won was a year ago.
“I feel I have to prove - not to the others - to myself. I will never be able to work without success. That’s my nature.
“If I have something to prove, imagine the others! To finish 4th is not the aim.”
#1 Specialist in failure rant
The managerial rants between Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger got to its zenith during the 2014/ 15 season. The Portuguese had returned to Stamford Bridge after a three-year stint at Real Madrid.
And, with the Blues in the Premier League title race with Manchester City, everything was going according to plan. However, Mourinho constantly played down Chelsea’s title ambitions – a move that Wenger found rather strange.
So when one reporter asked him at a press conference why a manager would consistently play down the title ambitions of his club, Wenger responded saying it could be due to a “fear of failure”.
That response turned out to rile Mourinho and he also decided not to let it slide. In his own presser, the Portuguese described the Arsenal manager as a “specialist in failure” in what looked like a rehearsed line.
“Am I afraid of failure? He is a specialist in failure. I’m not. So if one supposes he’s right and I’m afraid of failure, it’s because I don’t fail many times. So maybe he’s right. I’m not used to failing. But the reality is he’s a specialist because, eight years without a piece of silverware, that’s failure,” Mourinho said.
