Chelsea boss Antonio Conte wants final say in rivalry with Manchester United cup king Jose Mourinho

Break it up: Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho have been at loggerheads ever since the Italian arrived at Chelsea
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Simon Johnson18 May 2018

Of all the coaches Antonio Conte would choose to face to win his first domestic cup, Jose Mourinho would probably be the last on his list.

Forget the childish barbs sent in the Italian’s direction and vice versa. What will trouble Conte most is Mourinho’s incredible record for winning on showpiece occasions.

During his time at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and now Manchester United, Mourinho has inspired his side to 12 victories in 14 finals.

The only blemishes came in the Portuguese cup against Benfica in 2004 and the Copa del Rey meeting with Atletico Madrid nine years later. It is a success rate of 86 per cent.

That would be daunting enough for Conte but his own record is miserable in comparison: just two finals — and two defeats — in his coaching career.

Leading your team out at Wembley knowing your winning percentage in finals stands at a big fat zero is troubling to say the least, let alone the fact you do not really like your counterpart one bit.

Talk of whether the FA Cup is losing its lustre resurfaced again this term but for both men it is vital. Conte needs to come out on top more than Mourinho. Victory would not be enough to save his job at Chelsea, yet it would limit the damage to his reputation.

For all the plaudits the Italian earned in his first season in English football, when he led Chelsea to the title in emphatic fashion, the second has been a huge disappointment.

Initial complaints over the quality of squad and signings at his disposal were rightly met with sympathy. However, Conte garnered notoriety at previous jobs for being difficult when his wishes were not granted and for creating a negative working atmosphere.

History appears to have repeated at Stamford Bridge. The Premier League trophy seemed to be conceded before a ball was even kicked last August, as he declared that this was going to be the most difficult season of his career.

The passion on the sidelines was replaced by a moody acceptance of the poor performances transpiring in front of him, particularly since the turn of the year.

It is surely not a coincidence that the lack of joy in the dug-out has been mirrored by his Chelsea personnel on the pitch.

Anyone who witnessed their heavy defeats by Bournemouth, Watford and Newcastle would have seen a group of men that looked like they wanted to be doing something else or perhaps just playing for someone else.

One wonders if it has made owners of other clubs think twice about possibly taking him on. Take Paris Saint-Germain for example.

They considered hiring the 48-year-old for next term but have opted for Thomas Tuchel, who has claimed just one German Cup at Borussia Dortmund, instead. Conte could do with a timely reminder to the rest of the continent as to why he is one of the best in Europe.

After all, this is a man with four championships to his name (three at Juventus, one at Chelsea) in two of its most respected divisions.

There was a brief flash of his tactical and motivational qualities in Chelsea’s Champions League tie with Barcelona, only for his players to let him down with schoolboy errors at key moments.

Given the way Chelsea picked up just one point in their last two League games to blow any chance of stealing a top-four finish, though, Conte will need to be at his motivational best to end his Blues reign on a high at the national stadium.

Rivalry: Chelsea's 4-0 victory over United in their first meeting ignited a personal conflict
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Make no mistake, Mourinho is under pressure to deliver, too. The 2017-18 season has proved to be a different kind of humiliation for him. This was supposed to be the campaign when he led Manchester United back to the summit of English football.

Not only did the 55-year-old fail to achieve it, the club’s local rivals, Manchester City, outshone them in every department and disappeared into the distance. Finishing as runners-up in the Premier League title race was no consolation.

There is increasing debate over whether Mourinho’s methods are outdated and style of play too negative for a club spoiled by the dominance under Sir Alex Ferguson. If the contests between United and Chelsea over the past two years are anything to go by, then this FA Cup Final will be a tight affair.

Taking Conte’s 4-0 victory over Mourinho in their first meeting aside, which ignited the personal conflict, there have been two wins apiece after that with a total of just seven goals scored between them.

Victory on Saturday at Wembley will surely be decided by small margins again but will provide the winner the satisfaction of having the final word on an intense rivalry.

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