Jose: Favoured Wenger can not achieve yet keep job

Mark Holmes
Jose Mourinho: Chelsea boss suggests Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger gets preferential treatment

Jose Mourinho: Chelsea boss suggests Arsene Wenger gets preferential treatment

Jose Mourinho has suggested Arsene Wenger is given preferential treatment by the FA – and is the only manager not under pressure to deliver.

Chelsea released a statement on Tuesday in which they said they were “extremely disappointed” by the Football Association’s decision to retrospectively hand Diego Costa a three-match suspension for violent conduct in the Blues’ win over Arsenal last weekend.

The news came only hours after the FA announced it had overturned the red card shown to Gunners defender Gabriel in that game.

Speaking at his weekly press conference on Friday the Newcastle game on Saturday, Jose Mourinho refused to answer questions about the FA’s decisions for fear of being punished himself.

“You don’t need my answer,” Mourinho said. “It is not normal, but I have nothing more to say.

“If I answer I’m going to be suspended.

“I don’t want to touch the theme and everything that surrounds this situation because I want to be on the bench.

“I don’t comment and I tell you why: some managers can speak about the referee before the game but after the game and some others cannot. I am in the list of the ones that cannot.

“An imaginary list, but clearly.”

Mourinho suggested Wenger was not on the list, however, adding: “You know. Can speak about referees before and after, can push people in the technical areas, can cry in the morning, can cry in the afternoon, nothing happens.”

In direct reference to Gabriel’s reprieve, Mourinho said: “One of the things that is clear, though, is that when a player reacts to something and retaliates, it was punished. Now you can do it.”

When asked about the pressure Newcastle boss Steve McClaren finds himself under after a poor start to the season, Mourinho did not hesitate to have another dig at his Arsenal counterpart.

“In this country, one manager is not under pressure. He’s always the king. Good luck to him.”

“Steve (McClaren, Newcastle boss) is under pressure, I am under pressure, Brendan (Rodgers, the Liverpool boss) is under pressure, (Manchester City’s Manuel) Pellegrini is under pressure.

“We cannot lose matches, we cannot be below expectations.

“There is one that for some reason is outside that list. Good for him. Can not achieve, keep his job, can still be the king, it is privilege.”