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José Mourinho has admitted meetings with Chelsea mean “less and less” as his emotional ties with his former club steadily recede, with neither the Manchester United manager nor Antonio Conte prepared to reignite their feud before Sunday’s collision between their teams at Old Trafford.
The pair clashed towards the end of last year when Conte interpreted Mourinho’s criticisms of managers who “behave as a clown” on the touchline as a personal attack. The Italian responded by suggesting his counterpart might be suffering from “demenza senile”, with their war of words escalating further after the United manager appeared to reference the Chelsea head coach’s four-month ban for failing to report alleged match-fixing while working in his native Italy. Conte went on to call his opposite number “a little man” and “fake”.
There has been no attempt at reconciliation, with Conte still understood to be infuriated in particular by the mention of match-fixing, the Italian having been exonerated in May 2016. Yet an uneasy truce has broken out in the buildup to Sunday’s game, with neither coach risking distracting his players as they seek to secure a top‑four finish.
Conte would not address his issues with Mourinho in his media briefing, indicating each had said his piece in the past and the time had come for silence. The Portuguese limited his input to: “I’m not going to speak about it, it’s not the point. [Conte is a] very good manager and they are a fantastic team, and that’s what is important for me. The real meaning [of this game] is two of the best teams in England, two of the biggest clubs, are playing a match.”
He was more willing to address his longstanding ties with Chelsea. He claimed three Premier League titles, an FA Cup and three League Cups over two stints but was twice sacked. “To play against Chelsea will mean less and less and less with the years,” he said. “So of course I left already a couple of years ago, and next season [it will be] three years ago, so step by step that feeling of: ‘I was the Chelsea manager’ or ‘I was their manager’ for them I think disappears.
“I have a good relation with the [Chelsea] board. I don’t forget how nice they were to me in a difficult period with the departure of my father [Félix, who died after a lengthy illness in the summer of 2017]. They show me in that moment they feel me as a friend that did his best for the club and always respects the club.
“So the board know the relation with me is always good. With the players, I don’t have any problem, any regret, any stone on my shoes, no problem at all. And the fans are fans. With many of them in the street I feel that empathy and that relation that normally should be a connection and feeling forever. When I play at Stamford Bridge some reactions from the fans are just reactions.”
Conte expects to confront his former midfielder Nemanja Matic – “one of the key players in winning the title last season but who is, unfortunately, now playing for Manchester United,” he said – but will be able to field the in-form Willian.
The Brazilian thrived under Mourinho and has been linked previously with a move to Old Trafford to work under him again but, having played only two full games in the Premier League last season, his recent form has reinvigorated the champions.
Willian scored and hit both posts in Tuesday’s encouraging draw with Barcelona, with Conte impressed by his energy and work-rate. The Italian was prickly when talk drifted back to the forward’s lack of game-time last term. “Do you think that I am stupid when I put Willy on the bench?” he asked. “Maybe last season we won the title, or did I forget something? Now he is playing because he deserves to play, not because there is some regret from the past. In the last match I made a fantastic choice [by picking him] and I want to take credit for that.”
(GUARDIAN)
