adminLONDON. — Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has played down his rivalry with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger before tomorrow’s top-of-the-table derby at Emirates Stadium.
The pair clashed last year at Stamford Bridge, but Mourinho thinks their relationship is “not important”.
Mourinho said: “The only thing that matters is the football game. For me, he is not my rival.
“He is the manager of a big club in the same city where I work. It is a big club with the same objectives we have.”
Chelsea are 10 points clear at the top of the English Premier League with six games remaining. They will be champions if they beat Arsenal, who have won eight league games in a row, and Leicester in their next two matches. Mourinho said his relationship with Wenger was the same as he had experienced at previous clubs.
He said: “It is no different from when I was at Inter with the Milan manager, at Real with the Atletico manager, or Porto with Benfica. It was the same.”
Mourinho called Wenger a “voyeur” in 2005 over comments he made about events at Stamford Bridge and last year described the Frenchman as a “specialist in failure”.
Mourinho believes former Arsenal favourite Cesc Fabregas will receive a good reception on his return to his old club.
The 27-year-old midfielder joined the Blues from Barcelona in the summer.
“I’m not worried,” said Mourinho. “Frank Lampard played for Manchester City at Stamford Bridge without any problem and with a good reception.”
Fabregas had the option of returning to Arsenal when he left the Nou Camp.
“I know why he chose Chelsea, not why he didn’t choose Arsenal,” said Mourinho. “I can only talk about what we promised him, not his time at Arsenal or what stopped him going back.
“We promised him we would build a team adapted to his style of play and he would be an important part of our project.”
Chelsea forward Eden Hazard, who signed a new five-year contract in February, was this week praised by Real Madrid assistant manager Zinedine Zidane. — BBC Sport.
Online Reporter