Wenger v Mourinho: Mind games couched in insults

Arsene Wenger will be in charge of his first Barclays Premier League game since celebrating his 18th year in English football when Arsenal go head-to-head with Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea.

The rival managers don’t see eye-to-eye but Mourinho’s record against Wenger is eye-catching.

In 11 attempts against the self-proclaimed Special One, the Frenchman is yet to taste victory.

The last time the two teams met in Wenger’s 1,000th game in charge of the Gunners, Mourinho and his players gave them a hiding at Stamford Bridge with a 6-0 win.

Away from the pitch, though, the pair have been getting on each other’s nerves ever since.

We track the verbal volleyball between the managers down the years.

Mind you, Wenger threw the first punch in 2005!

Wenger: Boring, boring Chelsea

“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.”

Mourinho: Voyeur Wenger

“Wenger is one of these people who is a voyeur,” Mourinho said in October 2005.

“He likes to watch other people. There are some guys who, when they are at home, have a big telescope to see what happens in other families. He speaks, speaks, speaks about Chelsea.”

Wenger: Stupid Mou

“I find it out of order, disconnected with reality and disrespectful,” Wenger reacts to the ‘voyeur’ comment.

“When you give success to stupid people, it makes them more stupid sometimes and not more intelligent.”

CIA agent Mourinho, compiles file of quotes

“We have a file of quotes from Mr Wenger about Chelsea in the last 12 months – it is not a file of five pages. It is a file of 120 pages.”

Dan Brown wrote Angels & Demons but Mourinho ‘releases’ Angels & Devils

“Some clubs are treated as devils, some are treated as angels. I don’t think we are so ugly that we should be seen as the devil and I don’t think Arsene Wenger and David Dein are so beautiful that they should be viewed as angels.”

Out of work in summer 2008 but not out of sight of Wenger

“The English like statistics a lot. But do they know that Arsene Wenger has only 50 per cent of wins in the English league?”

Just won the treble with Inter and signed by Real Madrid but Jose ask for Mou…

“Maybe Wenger should explain to Arsenal fans how he cannot win a single little trophy since 2005,” he said.

Wenger has questions to ask too…

“I am surprised because Juan Mata is a great player and they sell a great player to a direct opponent. It opens up again a question because Chelsea have already played twice against Man United so they don’t play again. They could have sold him last week before the United game, but they waited,” on the sale of the Spaniard to Manchester United.

Wenger: Mourinho is running scared

“It is fear to fail. It is very open, only Chelsea can lose it because they are in front and all the other teams can win it,” when asked why Mourinho said Chelsea were not title contenders last season.

Mourinho: ‘Wenger is a specialist in failure.’

“If he is right and I am afraid of failure, it is because I didn’t fail many times. Eight years without silverware, that’s failure. He’s a specialist in failure. If I do that in Chelsea, eight years, I leave and don’t come back,” the Portuguese replies Wenger with the mother of all jibes.

Wenger: Mourinho is an embarrassment  

“I am embarrassed for him. Honestly. I am more disappointed for Chelsea than for me. I am not interested in the subject at all.”

Mourinho: Monsieur Polite

“I don’t accept that Wenger is always Monsieur Polite, and the other one is always the bad guy. I don’t accept, I’m sorry.”

So, who has the best gift in ‘speaking in tongues’?

Let’s have your comment.

Managerial silverware

Mourinho:

Porto: Primeira Liga (2003, 2004); Portuguese Cup (2003); UEFA Cup (2003); Champions League (2004).

Chelsea: Premier League (2005, 2006); League Cup (2005, 2007); FA Cup (2007).

Inter Milan: Serie A (2009, 2010); Italian Cup (2010); Champions League (2010).

Real Madrid: Primera Division (2012); Copa del Rey (2011).

Wenger:

Monaco: Ligue 1 (1988); French Cup (1991).

Grampus Eight: Emperor’s Cup (1996); Japanese Super Cup (1996).

Arsenal: Premier League (1998, 2002, 2004); FA Cup (1998, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2014).