The Special One vs The 'Fragile One': Mourinho to resume Emery rivalry

Jose Mourinho's relationship with Unai Emery in Spain may never have been as icy as it was with the last Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger.

Emery has listened intently to Mourinho at Sir Alex Ferguson's elite coaching forums. Mourinho in turn would never changed his place cards with someone else if he had been put next to Emery they way legend has it he did it at such events when seated alongside Wenger.

But mild-mannered Unai was still driven to distraction by Mourinho during the two seasons they coincided in Spain and in 2010 he branded his behaviour that of a crybaby who lacked respect, even suggesting staff at Madrid could not control their unruly manager.

The pair first clashed in the December of Mourinho's first season coaching Real Madrid. Emery was managing Valencia and in the first meeting at the Santiago Bernabeu Madrid won 2-0 thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo brace.

Mourinho, still fuming at a 5-0 thrashing suffered at the Camp Nou at the end of November, was in no mood to just enjoy the victory. He cocked a snook at long established protocol and gave his press conference at the Bernabeu before the away manager, Emery.

Traditionally the home team respectfully gives the visiting manager the opportunity to speak first before embarking on his team's journey home but when Emery emerged to face the press, Mourinho was already in the chair.

Mourinho's discourse had involved a few barbs aimed at Barcelona - saying he wouldn't talk about them by doing precisely that: talking about them.

'I don't want to comment on anything to do with Barca because there is one rule for me and one for everyone else,' he said.

Emery said after press conference snub: 'Someone can be very good (at their job) but you have to have certain human values. The moment when I give the press conference after the home coach that is a lack of respect.

'I give him my hand and congratulate him (for the win) but we should feel respected when we come here. I don't know if he was in a rush but it is the first time that this has happened to me and I hope it is the last.'

In Madrid's next home game Sevilla were in town and again there was a narrow home victory. This time with Angel Di Maria securing a 1-0 defeat. Mourinho was already on a mission. He was unhappy with the refereeing and did not like the way – as he saw it – he always had to play the bad guy and come out after games and criticise the match official.

The rant was as much about Jorge Valdano as about the referees. Mourinho had never wanted Valdano over his head as Sporting Director and the arrangement only lasted one season with the Argentinian moving on.

After the win over Sevilla Mourinho stunned the reporters gathered for his press conference by taking out a sheet of paper that carried a detailed list of 13 errors made by the referee against his team.

'They have given me a list of 13 grave errors,' he began taking out the sheet of paper. I am a bit tired of the fact that they give the list to me and that they want me to be the one to attack the referee and defend my team.'

Leaving no one in any doubt that this was as much about Valdano's role as any particular refereeing gripe, he added: 'Obviously I have to ask for an urgent meeting with the president. He is someone I can speak with directly because we get on well.

'I want to defend my team but if I take out this sheet of paper and go through it error by error the next game I have to be in the dug-out. It's easy to hide behind the coach.'

Emery took offence, just as he had with the break in press conference protocol. Uninterested in the internal politics of Real Madrid he interpreted Mourinho's moans just as an attempt to pressure the referees.

Asked about Mourinho's behaviour he later told Spanish radio: 'I know Ferguson and Guardiola and they are both sirs from top to bottom who have won everything. They are gentlemen, both very respectful. And this great coach (Mourinho) comes along, what would it cost him to be cordial and respectful?' He added sarcastically: 'Yes we already know he is above us.'

In reference to Mourinho speaking before him after Real Madrid's win over Valencia Emery continued: 'Real Madrid's director of communication came to us to apologise and to say that he could not control him.

'There are certain rules that should be followed like the away coach giving his post-match press conference first.'

Asked about Mourinho's list of refereeing errors he said: 'We have more reasons to bring out sheets of paper with more pages and more errors on and make a public complaint about all the times they have prejudiced us but we don't do it. Mourinho's posture is one of a crybaby.'

The two were being dragged into a tit-for-tat argument with each questioned about the latest comment from the other but Emery took a step back.

Mourinho had responded to Emery's press conference comments by saying: 'What I need to do so as not to hurt anyone untouchable is ask the other team when they want to go out and if I can go before them or after.

'One who is a bit fragile who wants to chose the moment when he goes out to speak and I have to pay a bit more attention to that.'

Emery was the unnamed 'fragile one'. Asked to respond he said: 'It's brave to judge someone who you don't know. I don't plan to get involved with this circus that he is creating.'

Emery had maybe won off the pitch by making his point and then walking away from the mud slinging. Unfortunately for him he did not win on the pitch.

There were four games between Valencia and Real Madrid in that time and he lost three of them (2-0, 3-6 and 2-3) and drew 0-0 in their final battle before he moved to Spartak Moscow and Mourinho's Madrid imploded in their third season.