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OLD ADVERSARIES SEE EYE TO EYE
Wenger and Mourinho won't face each other.
Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho both admitted they would have enjoyed the chance to lock horns once again in the Amsterdam Tournament this weekend.
The Arsenal manager and the former Chelsea boss have clashed more than once over the past few seasons, during which time Portuguese coach Mourinho established Stamford Bridge as the new powerbase of London football.
Mourinho - now in charge of Inter Milan - once famously labelled the Frenchman a "voyeur" for his comments about events at Chelsea, while the Blues boss was then less than impressed following an apparent snub over a goodwill message in a Christmas card and refused to shake hands with Wenger at the end of match.
However, the atmosphere was much more cordial as the two men were presented to the media ahead of the four-team competition in Holland, which also features hosts Ajax and Sevilla.
"We had some battles, which unfortunately Chelsea at that time won many times, but I would have loved to have played against Inter because they are a great side," Wenger said in a press conference televised on Sky Sports News.
"It is always interesting before the season starts to measure yourselves with the top teams in other countries because it gives you a little bit of a view of how well you can do in Europe if you qualify."
Mourinho - who left Chelsea in September last year and joined the Italian giants over the summer - would also have relished the chance to renew old rivalries.
"Now that we are in different countries, we agree more times," he quipped.
"I agree totally (playing other teams in Europe) and would choose that for my pre-season.
"We have played against Bayern Munich and now we are against Dutch and the Spanish.
"It is a pity we cannot play also against Arsenal.
"I think it is very important to play against different philosophies of football and tactics, to make things difficult for ourselves.
"In pre-season I do not like to win 10-0, I like friendly matches against good teams and to make it difficult for ourselves."
Arsenal take on hosts Ajax on Friday night, and then face Sevilla before Wenger will bring his men back to Holland on Tuesday ahead of the Champions League qualifier against Steve McClaren's FC Twente.
"It is an ideal opportunity to sharpen up before a very important game and it will be ideal preparation," said the Arsenal manager.
"Ajax are always hard opposition in this tournament.
"It is always a very physical and tight game, but you expect that when you come to Holland because they have a knowledge of how to play the game and keep the ball, it is really in the culture here."
