After having called him a ‘voyeur’ and a ‘specialist in failure ’in the past, Jose Mourinho has expressed regret over his past clashes with outgoing Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.
“There were little things where it would obviously be better without them – some gestures, some words,” the Manchester United manager told the media ahead of Sunday’s massive clash between the Red Devils and the Gunners.
During his two stints with fellow Premier League side Chelsea, the ‘Special One’ regularly clashed with his counterpart on the sidelines and often exchanged barbs at press conferences.
“I feel better now without it, no doubts about it, but again when I arrived in England in 2004, Arsenal was the champion and was the famous champion of The Invincibles,” the Portuguese tactician added as he continued, “I arrive and for the next couple of years was with them – (Dennis) Bergkamp, Thierry (Henry) and (Sol) Campbell – an amazing team, so again, thank you very much for that.”
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Mourinho’s record against Wenger is outstanding, with the Portuguese enjoying a far superior head-to-head against the French tactician. His arrival in England sparked Chelsea’s rise and coincidentally, Arsenal’s slump as the Gunners failed to win the Premier League again after their great ‘Invincibles’ season (2003-04).
The managers’ fiery rivalry had simmered down of late, with the new kids on the block (Antonio Conte and Pep Guardiola) stealing their thunder and once Wenger announced last week he would be ending his 22-year-old reign in North London, Mourinho and the rest of the Premier League had nothing but praise for the French tactician.
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“They pushed us to the limit, the two matches we played, not at the Emirates (Stadium), but at the amazing old stadium (Highbury), unforgettable. We had big matches, big fights, so thank you, thank you so much for that.”
“Regret, little negative episodes, yes I do and probably (Wenger) also does,” a rueful Mourinho added.
Second-placed United host the sixth-ranked Gunners at Old Trafford in the highlight Premier League game of Matchday 36 on Sunday.
Kick off is at 16.30 GMT/2100 IST.