13 November 2023 , 09:23
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Maurizio Sarri claims Jose Mourinho the person and Jose Mourinho the character are different people after the pair exchanged words before Sunday's Rome derby.
Both men had spells in charge of Chelsea before lining up on opposite sides in the Italian capital. Lazio manager Sarri was at Stamford Bridge for the 2018-19 season, winning the Europa League before returning to Italy, while Roma boss Mourinho won the Premier League in two separate spells with the Blues.
The pair faced off at the Stadio Olimpico, with spoils shared in Sunday's goalless encounter. After the fixture, Sarri opened up on his experience with Mourinho, a man who he has faced on plenty of occasions.
“We had already crossed paths before the game," Sarri told DAZN (via Football Italia). "I told him: ‘You are a right pain in the butt’. He replied: ‘For that matter so are you’. I don’t like dealing with Mourinho the media character, but Mourinho the person is great.”
The 64-year-old also weighed in on the result itself. “This is the most passionate derby in Italy, so that is a difficult situation," he said. "When you cannot win, you need to not lose. We had the best scoring opportunities and overall performance."
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Jose Mourinho and Maurizio Sarri faced off on Sunday (Federico Proietti/DPPI/REX/Shutterstock)Another man with Chelsea connections, Spanish international Pedro, was at the heart of one of the game's more contentious moments. Mourinho brought the former Barcelona star to Stamford Bridge in 2015, but there was seemingly no love lost as he accused the veteran of diving.
“I didn’t want to leave [Gianluca] Mancini alone with Pedro. I needed [Rick] Karsdorp to stay and help him," Mourinho said. "Pedro is a fantastic player but he is a born diver, an excellent swimmer, he dives into the pool just beautifully.”
Lazio's Danilo Cataldi hit back at the Portuguese, though. “He’s always the first one to talk about titles. Well, Pedro has won more titles than him," the midfielder said. "The match? It’s always difficult for me to prepare for the derby, it’s so special. We all know what it means for me and for the fans.”
The goalless draw in Rome left both teams playing catch-up in the race for Champions League qualification. Roma sit seventh, three points outside the top four, while neighbours Lazio are one point and three places further back.
Lazio are away to bottom of the table Salernitana in their first game back after the upcoming international break. Roma, meanwhile, will host Udinese on November 26.