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 Emirate 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 Invincible's 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 "voyeur".
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.
"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 Emirate 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.
Source: Goal.com
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