Jose Mourinho last night took another sideswipe at bitter rival Arsene Wenger ahead of their showdown at the Emirates.

Mourinho was infuriated by Wenger's remark that it is "easy to defend" as two very different footballing philosophies collide on Sunday.

Chelsea boss Mourinho, who has never lost to Wenger in 12 meetings, could not resist biting back with a dig over Arsenal’s Champions League exit to Monaco.

“It’s not easy, not easy. If it was easy, you wouldn’t lose 3-1 at home to Monaco,” said Mourinho. “If he defends well he draws 0-0 against Monaco and wins in Monte Carlo. It’s not easy to defend.”

There is no love lost between Mourinho and Wenger as Chelsea’s trip to Arsenal on Sunday is as much about a clash of managerial personalities as it is a London derby.

Well-beaten: Arsenal struggled against Monaco (
Image:
Getty)

It is not just Wenger’s appalling record on the pitch against Mourinho. But also Mourinho’s incredible hold over Wenger after branding him a “specialist in failure” last season. That only reopened wounds from ten years ago when Mourinho called Wenger a “voyeur.”

Such was Wenger’s anger at Mourinho when they met at Stamford Bridge this season that the normally mild mannered Frenchman snapped and pushed his managerial rival on the touchline.

Mourinho will forever be known as a conservative and cautious manager while Wenger has long been regarded as being a purveyor of pure football even if it has not delivered as many trophies in recent years.

Gunners boss Wenger could barely hide his contempt this week when he said, albeit with a smile, he expects their latest encounter to be a “1-0 - the usual.”

The usual: Wenger frustrated Mourinho with his dig (
Image:
Michael Regan - The FA)

Mourinho, however, insists his team deserves more respect as, despite recent stutters, he says they have been the best team in the Premier League this season and will be worthy champions.

Chelsea managed just one shot on target against QPR two weeks ago, Manchester United dominated possession at Stamford Bridge last Saturday and Mourinho’s men appear to be running out of gas.

But Mourinho said: “If we win the title this season, I don’t care where and how. I just want to be champions. It matters what I feel, not what people feel, think or say.

“We are the best team since day one, and we want to be the best team until the last day.

“We are top of the league since day one. We are the second team in terms of goals scored. We are the second best team for goals conceded. The team with fewest defeats.

In pictures: Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United

“We have some of the best goals of the season, and I’m not speaking about individual actions or shots like Charlie Adam’s from midfield. Not this kind of spectacular goal, but spectacular team goals.

“We started that at Burnley, with Schurrle’s goal. One of the best of the season. And we repeated that almost week after week. We are having everything in our season. So, if we manage to win the Premier League, we did everything right.”

It is pretty clear that Mourinho will not stand for being patronised or put down by anyone, not least by Wenger.

They have thrilled with their expansive football in the first half of the season and Eden Hazard is red-hot favourite to be named Player of the Year by his fellow professionals tomorrow.

Star man: Hazard celebrates his winner against United (
Image:
Rex Features)

But even Mourinho admitted it has been a struggle in recent weeks and gave a long and rather convoluted explanation that Chelsea have needed a life raft to almost stop them sinking as their form and energy deserted them.

“I hope to start next season the way we started this,” said Mourinho. “This is the way we want to play, the way we try to play, and the team we enjoy more.

“But it’s very enjoyable to deal with a difficult moment, to deal in a strategic way, for the players to have a great feeling that this is very important.

“In football, this, when you are in trouble... when you are in the sea and have no boat, you need something to survive. A raft. In football, team spirit and team ethics, and strategy, is this.”

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