There is pride, as well as points, at stake at Old Trafford on Sunday because Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho will not take it well if Antonio Conte beats him in his own backyard.
Conte has not just won both their previous meetings this season, his Chelsea side are 18 points above United and closing in on the Premier League title.
I did not expect the gap between the two teams to be so big but nobody could have foreseen how well Conte would do in what is a highly competitive league – I certainly didn’t.
If you are looking for a comparison, you could say his impact in his first season in the Premier League has been Mourinho-esque – the same as when Jose first came to England in 2004 and blew everyone away.
In many ways, Conte is the new Mourinho – he has only been in England for eight months but has already taken over his mantle.
By that, I mean the way Conte has been the outstanding manager this season with his results and how he has implemented his style of play to build a team that is exciting to watch and a threat going forward.
Just as with Mourinho, you would not exactly say that everyone loves him, but most people admire the job he has done at Chelsea, and his enthusiasm and charisma too.
Mourinho may see a bit of himself in Conte and I would understand if he is a bit envious of the success the Italian has had. He has stolen his thunder with what is essentially Mourinho’s team, and got so much more out of the group of players he was left with after Mourinho’s second spell at the club.
I was one of those who thought Mourinho would quickly transform United in a similar way, but they simply have not made the same transition since he took charge.
Yes, there are signs of improvement from the Louis van Gaal era but I still think United will finish outside the top four, which is pretty unacceptable when you consider how much money they have spent.
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