 | ||
| Both Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho claim that there is more 'respect' between them now | Getty |
Jose Mourinho is far from averse to a bit of misdirection when it comes to big matches, and it remains to be seen whether he will actually name a much-changed side for
Manchester United’s trip to Arsenal , but the very prospect has already changed one major element about one of his meetings with
Arsène Wenger and that is not entirely unwelcome. It has changed the build-up and tone of it.
Over the past 13 years, there have been two themes that have completely dominated their face-offs. One has been the rancorous rivalry that has often resulted in near-physical, literal 'face-offs' on the sidelines. The second has been the question over whether Wenger can finally beat Mourinho in a competitive match. The repetition of the same topics got tiresome, not least for the Arsenal manager given he couldn’t get that win, and all reached something of a comical point for their last meeting back in November.
After Olivier Giroud had scored a late equaliser for Arsenal to claim an undeserved 1-1 draw at Old Trafford that Mourinho admitted felt like a defeat, the United manager was still in a good enough mood to feel like a jibe. “So, finally I lost against Arsenal,” the Portuguese said at the end of his press conference, repeating it twice as he walked out.
