Conte: War of words is over, time to move on
Antonio Conte insists he is keen to move on from his bitter war of words with Jose Mourinho.
Chelsea boss Conte and Manchester United manager Mourinho have clashed numerous times during the last two years as part of an ongoing feud.
The rivals go head- to- head today at Old Trafford in the Premier League, and Conte thinks it is time to draw a line under any unsavoury episodes.
“I’m not interested in this topic. Both said something in the past, but we stop,” said Conte.
“For me, the situation has stopped.” January was dominated by a tit-for-tat public argument between the two coaches.
Mourinho’s comments that he did not need to behave like “a clown” touched a nerve with Conte, leading him to accuse the United boss of having senile dementia.
It descended from there as Mourinho referred to a four- month suspension Conte served in relation to match-fixing, for which the Italian was later cleared of any wrongdoing.
The Blues manager then called the United boss “a little man” and Mourinho retaliated by saying he treats Conte with “contempt”.
While attention has been almost fully focused on the relationship between the two managers, today’s game could have a significant bearing on the race for Champions League qualification.
Champions Chelsea and United have both failed to challenge runaway leaders Manchester City for the title this season, leaving them fighting for a top- four finish alongside Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal.
Conte acknowledges the importance of the fixture, with his fourth- placed team sitting just three points behind second-placed United.
“This is a massive game. A game to try and find a place in the Champions League,” Conte added.
“An important game for us, and an important game for them.
“We have to try to play and try to get three points. To try to finish the game with a good result.”