Mourinho’s still proving master of mind games

again, given that Conte, Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp are renowned for their animated antics, he knew the remark would hit a nerve with one of them. It certainly has with Conte.

Even when Mourinho claims he is not winding up rivals, he manages to do just that. And when it comes to mind games, he is rivalling Sir Alex Ferguson.

Ferguson famously provoked Kevin Keegan into his “I’ll love it” rant by hoping that a relegation-threatened Leeds team would play as well against Keegan’s Newcastle as they had done against his side in the championship run-in to the 1995-96 season. No mention of Keegan – but it did the trick. Keegan lost the plot and his team lost the title.

Ferguson also did it with Rafa Benitez, who responded with his infamous “facts” rant.

Mourinho, like Ferguson, is a past master at diverting attention away from the failings of his team by creating another agenda – whether it is referees, scheduling or former players.

He knows Manchester City will not be caught in the title race so he is now focusing on United’s rivals for second place – Chelsea.

It has irked him greatly that Conte has beaten him three times out of four in the last 18 months and is already setting the tone for their battle at Old Trafford in February.

As Guardiola once said at the height of their rivalry in Spain, Mourinho may not always win the battle on the pitch but he’s the “champion” of the press conferences.