Maurizio Sarri: Former Chelsea Boss Debunks Claims of Rivalry With Jose Mourinho

• SS Lazio boss, Maurizio Sarri has denied any claims of a rivalry with Jose Mourinho
• The two manage city rivals Lazio and AS Roma and have engaged in clashes in the past
• Sarri and Mourinho have also managed Chelsea, and the claims please the Blues fans

SS Lazio manager, Maurizio Sarri has rejected claims that he is embroiled in a rivalry with AS Roma manager, Jose Mourinho, despite previous spats.

The pair's supposed rivalry dates back to when Sarri was Chelsea boss, and Mourinho was at Premier League rivals Manchester United. The Italian left Stamford Bridge after a year, and the Portuguese managed Tottenham Hotspur afterwards.

The two reunited in Italy in the capital city of Rome after Sarri took the Lazio job, and Mourinho surprisingly turned up at Roma ahead of the delayed Euro 2020 in 2021.

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The Special One immediately achieved success in the capital by helping the club to the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League trophy, thus ending their 14-year wait for a trophy, while Sarri is yet to win on the other side.

Sarri denies rivalry with Mourinho

The two clashed often last season, with the sky blue picking up a domestic double over the red and yellow, while they had different fates but similar results in European competition.

Speaking exclusively to Sportitalia, the 64-year-old Sarri denied any rift between the two and praised his opponent as a man he respects.

“I personally have no rivalry with him. I like him, I got to talk to him, he’s intelligent. Something happened in a Chelsea-United match where he could have taken advantage of it in the media, and he didn’t,” he said.

“He took into account the age of my staff member, and he proved to be a man. I have respect for him,” he added.

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Metro UK reported that the former Juventus boss quickly apologised to Jose for his assistant's behaviour after Ross Barkley's late equaliser in the 2-2 draw between Chelsea and Manchester United in 2018.

The former Napoli man is a gracious man because the former Real Madrid boss trolled Lazio after Europa League elimination and also aimed a brutal dig at Sarri after Roma progressed in the same competition.

Mourinho commits future to Roma

Sports Brief reported that Mourinho gave telling reaction to Roma fans when asked about his future at the club after the season's final game against relegated Spezia.

The former Inter Milan boss beat his chest and pointed to the ground of the Stadio Olimpico to suggest he would be staying at the club next season amidst reports of offers from Saudi Arabia.