FA CUP FINAL PREVIEW Wembley may see final act of bitter feud
THERE is certainly no love lost between Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.
The pair have clashed several times in the two seasons in which they have been in charge at United and Chelsea.
The feud began in October 2016 following a 4-0 defeat for Mourinho on his return to Stamford Bridge with the Reds.
And it hasn’t got much better since, meaning there could be plenty of fireworks on the touchline at Wembley as well as on the pitch today.
Here, we look at how the rift between the two has built over the last two years...
OCTOBER 2016 THE first meeting between the United boss and Conte ended in embarrassment for Mourinho on his return to Stamford Bridge as Chelsea won 4-0.
The I talian’s touc hline a ntics appeared to irk the Reds chief as he said something in Conte’s ear after the final whistle.
Reports in the Italian media suggested Mourinho told Conte: “You don’t celebrate like that at 4-0, you can do it at 1-0, otherwise it’s humiliating for us”.
Neither boss divulged what was said, but Conte told Sky Italia: “I’ve been a player too and I know how to behave.”
MARCH 2017 ANOTHER Stamford Bridge encounter, another spiky exchange between the two, who had to be separated after Marcos Alonso was fouled.
Ander Herrera was sent off for two yellow cards picked up in tackles made on Eden Hazard, and Chelsea boss Conte was livid with what he perceived to be a deliberate ploy against the Belgian, saying: “A tactic to play and go to kick an opponent? It’s not football for me.”
Mourinho w as called ‘Judas’ by a section of the Stamford Bridge crowd. Responding in his postmatch media conference, the Portuguese, Chelsea’s most successful manager, said: “They can call me what they want.
“Until the moment they have a manager that wins four Premier Leagues for them, I’m the number one.
“When they have somebody that wins four Premier Leagues for them, I become number two. Until this moment, Judas is number one.”
APRIL 2017 CONTE aimed another dig in the direction of Mourinho, and City manager Pep Guardiola, as his team closed in on their title triumph.
“This season it’s very important to understand that it’s not always about who spends more money who wins,” he said.
“This season isn’t the only season both Manchester clubs have spent a lot of money. Look at the past.
“It’s right for them to do this, to reinforce their teams, if they think this is the right way to win the title. (But) every single club decides their own strategy.”
JULY 2017 CHELSEA entered the new campaign knowing the last time they tried to defend their title, under Mourinho, it ended in disastrous fashion as they finished 10th having axed the Portuguese in December when they were just one point above the relegation zone.
It was not lost on Conte, who said in quotes published on espn.co.uk: “We know the difficulty of the next season and for sure we want to avoid the Mourinho season with Chelsea. “Two years ago the team ended the league in 10th place and we want to try to avoid this.”
When those comments were put to Mourinho at a press conference in Norway after United had beaten Valerenga 3-0, he responded with a curious turn of phrase. “I could answer in many different ways,” he said. “But I’m not going to lose my hair to speak about Antonio Conte.”
The Italian had a visibly receding hairline towards the end of his playing career but now boasts flowing locks.
OCTOBER 2017 MOURINHO got under Conte’s skin when he made a remark about his rivals bemoaning their lengthy injury lists.
Without specifically stating who