Arsene Wenger has hailed Leicester City’s new manager, Claudio Ranieri, ahead of our clash in the Premier League on Saturday.
Although Wenger’s not one to take cheap shots during press conferences, he has the rare ability to make a simple, seemingly throwaway, comment that can make other managers seethe.
The latest example is Wenger’s praise of new Leicester manager Ranieri, who currently has the Foxes up in fourth in the Premier League, yet to lose a match. While simultaneously complimented our weekend rivals’ boss, Wenger also managed to insult Jose Mourinho, without directly having to mentioned the man at all.
“When Claudio left Chelsea he had built the team that was so successful at the start,” said the Arsenal manager. “I remember them finishing second in the league with Ranieri and the team was upcoming with young players like John Terry and Frank Lampard, who were the players that contributed to the success of Chelsea.”
Of course, we all know who Ranieri’s successor at Chelsea was, don’t we?
The best thing about this is that Mourinho will be livid. The Chelsea boss has been taking his own swipes at Arsene but in a far cheaper, headline-baiting fashion. Wenger, instead, manages to insult the Portuguese manager’s career without even bringing his name into the conversation!
Stay bitter Mourinho.