Sometimes Jose Mourinho says things just to get a rise out of people.
And if that’s what he wanted with his cryptic claim that “other managers cry and cry and cry” about injuries following Manchester United’s 1-0 victory over Benfica on Wednesday night, he certainly seemed to accomplish it.
While the United boss didn’t specify which managers he was talking about, it was generally accepted that Mourinho was referencing Chelsea manager Antonio Conte.
At the weekend, Conte blamed Chelsea’s shock defeat to Crystal Palace on the spate of injuries that the Blues were dealing with and most felt that was what Mourinho was referring to.
Chelsea drew 3-3 at home to Roma on Wednesday night and, after the game, it was put to Conte that Mourinho had been discussing him.
And that’s when the Italian took the bait.
“Do you think it was for me? If he is speaking about me, I think he has to think about his team and start looking at himself, not others,” Conte said.
“I think that, a lot of times, Mourinho [concentrates on] what is happening at Chelsea. A lot of times, also last season. [He should] think about his team.”
Hamstring injuries have sidelined both N’Golo Kante and Victor Moses while Danny Drinkwater is currently recovering from a calf problem.
David Luiz suffered a calf injury of his own against Roma and was withdrawn after an hour. He may not be back in time for this weekend’s clash against Watford, when the Blues will hope to rebound from back to back Premier League defeats.
“I didn’t like the type of football we did for a lot of the game, but it’s right to take the responsibility for this,” Conte said after the Roma game.
“I tried on one hand to protect my team, to become more solid and to move our central defender into midfield. On the other hand we lost totally our style of football.
“Sometimes you have to find the right solution to try to protect your team. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad. But you know very well our situation.
“It was good to draw. Roma deserved this result. I have to praise my players, because my players showed me a big effort, a big commitment tonight. Otherwise, we lose the game.”
Consider the war of words between Conte and Mourinho well underway and, with Chelsea hosting the Red Devils in just over two weeks, this one could get interesting.
