It rumbles on.
Antonio Conte has called Jose Mourinho a ‘little man’ as the war of words between the two Premier League managers continues to dominate the headlines.
Any recent press conferences involving the Chelsea and Manchester United bosses have been peppered with questions regarding about the other – and they haven’t shied away from spicing up the tension.
Mourinho took their rivalry to the next level on Friday evening when he had a dig at Conte’s past. During his time at Siena, Conte received a four-month suspension for failing to report a match-fixing incident in Italian football.
When asked about what he thought of Mourinho’s latest barb, Conte said the following to BT Sport:
“I think it’s difficult to answer this type of comment because when a person…their target is to offend and insult another person, [it means] you’re a little man. But it’s always the same. It’s not a surprise.”
"When the target is to offend, to insult, I think that you are a little man"
"It's not a surprise for me"
"This is his way"
Antonio Conte speaks honestly and openly about Jose Mourinho with @DesKellyBTS 🎙
Wow. 😳 pic.twitter.com/xR6W9VE3Gi
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 6, 2018
There is certainly no love lost between the pair and, as we’ve said it before, it only adds a layer of intrigue ahead of United and Chelsea’s next Premier League meeting.
Conte proceeded to call Mourinho fake in his post-match comments following Chelsea’s 0-0 draw with Norwich City in the FA Cup third round, using an example of when he made fun of former Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri’s English:
“I remember when he offended Ranieri for his English. Then when Ranieri was sacked he put a shirt on for Ranieri. He is fake.”
As for the match-fixing jibe, Conte merely stated that a court declared his innocence, which is true. You can call them petty, you can call them juvenile but, you have to admit, it’s highly entertaining.
