Fallout from 'specialist in failure' row with Arsene Wenger has left Jose Mourinho feeling vulnerable

The Chelsea manager has not spoken about his Arsenal counterpart in the last couple of weeks, but the signs are there that he feels bruised 

 

It's rare to witness Jose Mourinho opting not to comment.

But while Chelsea look down on the rest of the Premier League, the Portuguese does appear to be suffering from a little bit of a persecution complex.

Of course, it all comes down to his devastating and brutal put-down of Arsene Wenger the other week, when he branded the Arsenal boss "a specialist in failure".
On many occasions, Mourinho has, with good reason, been accused of saying things for effect. All that "we can't win the title; we're the fake leaders" schtick is part of the nonsense.

But there can be no doubt, at all, that Mourinho was angered by what he perceived as a personal assault from the Frenchman.

Mourinho knew exactly what Wenger had said. As far as he was concerned, the Arsenal manager could only have been referring to himself and Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers when he dismissed those writing off their side's chances.

Thus, the response. Withering, although, for the first time, he apologised for that infamous "voyeur" gibe.
But while Mourinho half-expected to be portrayed as "the unpolite guy, the one who is aggressive in his words", the fixture schedule gave Wenger the final word. More crucially, it seems, when the columnists weighed in, it was to back Wenger.

Mourinho has kicked back. He feels that he has been unfairly chastised for what he said, while the man he believes was the instigator has been given support by the establishment.


The truth is that it is not quite like that. Mourinho's response WAS inflammatory. Great copy, mind. But bound to raise hackles.
As a consequence, though, the Chelsea manager has decided, for a few weeks, that he will clam up when his dug-out rivals are named. Even on Friday, when Wenger was not even mentioned, Mourinho brought it round to the perceived media bias in favour of the Frenchman.

Mourinho had spoken about his belief that Roy Hodgson should show World Cup loyalty to Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole, both of whom are suddenly vulnerable. He also insisted that, in his view, were he an international manager, it would have to be for Portugal and that he would not accept the idea of passports of footballing convenience.

So then, he was asked, not unreasonably, it seemed reasonable to infer he would not agree with the efforts being considered by the FA – who he courted, quite strongly, when Steve McClaren was sacked in 2007 – to persuade Adnan Januzaj to take advantage of the possibility of becoming England-qualified.
The words "Arsene" and "Wenger" did not leave his lips. But it was pretty clear who he was talking to as he gave a surprising answer.

"I think if you want some good headlines, you have to go to the people who are the owners of the truth," said Mourinho.
"The people who say what they want and believe what they want, and you don't criticise them even if you provoke them. So get in the car and drive for an hour, and maybe you'll be there..."
Maybe more than an hour at 4pm on a Friday afternoon, given London traffic. But it was a clear message, a signal that Mourinho thinks Wenger receives preferential treatment.
For a man who normally cannot see a blaze without throwing some oil on it, Mourinho's response did seem unusual.

It won't last, of course. If he feels there is something to say, to get under the skin of Wenger, Manuel Pellegrini or even his pal Rodgers, let alone Pep Guardiola should their paths cross in the Champions League, he will say it.
But for now, Mourinho is slightly tender. Bruised. Even, perhaps, feeling vulnerable. Not what we are used to seeing.
Then again, if his Blues side keep winning, nobody in SW6 will care.