The 'Special One' looks to stay unbeaten
against the 'specialist in failure' when Chelsea
travel to Arsenal on Sunday as this managerial
grudge match takes in its latest chapter
Apr 24, 2015 10:00:00
COMMENT By Greg Stobart Follow on Twitter
The 'Special One' versus the 'specialist in
failure': part 13. Maybe it will finally be
unlucky for Jose Mourinho as he looks to
extend his unbeaten record against Arsene
Wenger, but this rivalry will never be boring.
They are two of the most respected managers
in the game with decorated CVs but that is
about all the Chelsea and Arsenal managers
hold in common as they prepare for Sunday's
clash at the Emirates Stadium.
They have been clashing with each other ever
since Mourinho was appointed for his first
spell as Chelsea manager in 2004 with the
target of knocking Arsenal off their perch
following the Invincibles season.
While Mourinho snuggled up to Sir Alex
Ferguson, he started a feud with Wenger that
remains hostile to this day.
There is no doubt as to who has the upper
hand. Mourinho's record against Wenger reads
won seven, drawn five, scored 21 and
conceded six. The Portuguese takes his side
across London on Sunday as champions elect
to face an Arsenal team that were out of the
title race long before Christmas.
Even more pertinently, that title in 2004 was
Wenger's last Premier League triumph (and
his third overall). Since then, the Frenchman
has won just two FA Cups, separated by a
nine-year gap that was the basis for
Mourinho's "specialist in failure" jibe.
Mourinho, meanwhile, is a serial winner. He
has won two Champions Leagues, seven
league titles in four countries and 10 other
cup competitions. The 52-year-old scratched
a three-year itch when Chelsea won the
League Cup in March and will follow it up with
the Premier League title in the next few weeks.
When a club hires Mourinho, trophies are a
guarantee. He is the anti-Wenger, jumping
from club to club implementing short-term
projects with spectacular results.
Mourinho riles at Wenger's criticism of his
managerial methods and past complaints
about Chelsea's money. It was in that context
that Mourinho crossed the line in 2007 with a
distasteful verbal attack in which he labelled
the Arsenal manager a "Viewer".
Maybe, though, at the heart of his feud with
Wenger, there is a sense of resentment. That
despite his success he has never had the same
unwavering support of his board.

(continued)
"At this moment [Wenger] has a dream job
that we would all love to have," Mourinho told
Sky Sports in February. "He has the stability
and has the time to buy and sell and wait for
success... and wait, and wait... I think he has
the dream job."
Mourinho has spoken this season of his desire
to stay at Chelsea for the next 10 years ever
since his return to the club and seems to
crave the support and stability that Wenger
receives at the Emirates without the demand
for trophies.
In an interview with Gary Neville last October,
Mourinho spoke of his approach to
management and insisted he is not one of the
"fundamentalist" coaches who will not adapt
his philosophy.
COMMENT ARE IN-FORM ARSENAL FINALLY
READY TO CHALLENGE CHELSEA?
Wenger is quite the opposite, stubbornly loyal
to his ways. It is the pragmatist against the
professor.
While Wenger has built technically skilful
teams on a budget, Mourinho constructs sides
based on power, strength and their ability to
pick up points. Long after the end of his first
spell in charge, his original Chelsea team
continued to torment Arsenal, particularly
through Didier Drogba and his ability to rip
apart the Gunners' defence.
"I wouldn't be so sure that the two managers
would be jealous of each other in terms of
what they’ve achieved," former Arsenal star
Nigel Winterburn tells Goal .
"Maybe it's a case of Mourinho saying 'you
know what, I know I have to be successful or
maybe the clubs are not going to let me stay
too long'.
"I think Sunday's game is a chance for Arsenal
to put down more belief within their squad
that they can beat the big teams and reaffirm
their position in the league as well."
Whatever the basis of the rivalry, Mourinho
gets under Wenger's skin.
In the first game between the teams this
season, Wenger confronted his opposite
number on the touchline at Stamford Bridge
and shoved him in the chest. It was an event
that might have been given more attention -
with possible repercussions from the Football
Association - had it been the other way
around.
Mourinho is Wenger's nemesis and that is why
there is something extra at stake this
weekend.