Arsene Wenger’s rivalry with Jose Mourinho is so intense that the Frenchman can never resist a dig at the Chelsea boss – even when he’s apologising for shoving him.
The two managers were involved in a touchline confrontation during their sides’ recent Premier League clash, and whilst the Arsenal boss said sorry for his role in the incident on the French television show Telefoot, he believes that the Portuguese instigated the situation.
‘In hindsight I think I should not have reacted at all, it’s not a way to behave on a football field,’ Wenger said.
‘I always regret any signs of violence and I apologise, but that’s a part of games where everything is manic. And then we have quite a substantial past.
‘Did Mourinho provoke me? That is how I felt. I did not enter Chelsea’s technical area.’
Mourinho, who now boasts a 12-match unbeaten streak against Wenger, was less inclined to comment on the coming-together, but did admit that he was struggling to explain what had happened.
‘I have no words to explain what everybody else saw in those images’, he said.
‘Wenger will explain what he wants to explain. I will not say more.’
Wenger’s countryman Bixente Lizarazu also had his say on the pair’s relationship, and suggested that the Gunners boss has a more wholesome approach to management.
‘Arsene Wenger has built a club whereas Jose Mourinho builds teams,’ he said.
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