JOSE IS ‘SENILE’
Conte reaches boiling point after Mourinho’s ‘clown’ putdown
ANTONIO CONTE yesterday launched an astonishing attack on Jose Mourinho, calling the Manchester United manager ‘senile’ in a furious response to his barb about touchline ‘clowns’.
Mourinho’s dig on Thursday was widely believed to be aimed at Conte and Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and when it was put to the Italian ahead of today’s FA Cup tie at Norwich, he snapped.
In citing Mourinho’s own long history of touchline theatrics, Conte controversially questioned if Mourinho had ‘demenza senile’ — which translates into English as senile dementia, though Chelsea later claimed he meant ‘amnesia’ — before insisting he would no longer stay silent in the face of prickly comments from rival managers.
He said: ‘Maybe sometimes I think that someone forget what they said in the past or which is his behaviours and sometimes I think there is, I don’t know the name, demenza
senile, when you are a bit, when you forget what you do in the past.’
He added: ‘It is like amnesia when you can’t remember things. When you forgot what you say in the past, your behaviours and when you totally forgot, you must be worried when this happens because it means you are becoming old and you need a check.
‘I must be honest, I don’t read (what other managers say). The only opportunity to know about these situations is during the press conference. I am not prepared like other persons to make a cinema because there are other persons who prepare to have a cinema in the press conference, before the game and during the game. I am not this type of person.
‘In my one-year-and-a-half (at Chelsea) I never talk about other coaches or if I spoke about other coaches, it was only to make compliments. Otherwise, I stay silent, but I repeat in this situation you must have respect and I think that I do this but I am starting to be a bit annoyed because once, twice . . .
‘For this reason you must pay great attention when you speak because if you want to go to fight with me I am ready. I have zero problems. I am improving a bit my English because this is the real problem for me otherwise we can go to fight. I’m ready to fight for me, my players, the club, with everyone, I have no problem.’
It was a staggering response sustained across two separate briefings for broadcast and written media, and came two days after Conte explained how he was using yoga in an effort to keep calm.
Conte also aimed a nudge at Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger after he said Eden Hazard dived to win a penalty in the midweek 2-2 draw between the sides.
When asked if it was irritating that a rival manager was discussing his players, Conte said: ‘I repeat that sometimes, for example, Wenger forgets that in the last few games we finish the game with 10 men when they won the FA Cup and Community Shield and I think the referee decisions were a bit strange, you understand? I can talk, if I want I can talk about referee decisions for one month but I don’t want to do this because we must have respect for the decision.’
Meanwhile, David Luiz is set to make his eagerly awaited return at Carrow Road. The Brazilian defender has been out for more than six weeks with a knee injury but has declared himself fit and is in line to figure in the squad.