Wenger : I suffer like Jose

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger recounts what he remembers the most from 1998-2005 in what was one of the biggest Premier League rivalries to date.
Arsene Wenger admits his relationship with Jose Mourinho has been "tense", but says they respect each other because they understand each other's suffering.

The Frenchman will travel to Old Trafford for the final time as Arsenal manager on Sunday to face Manchester United, live on Sky Sports Premier League, and has spoken of his respect for their manager.

Mourinho and Wenger have clashed over the years, with the former famously describing the latter as "a specialist in failure" in 2014, but the Arsenal boss says their relationship is more positive than people might expect.

"It has been, like with Ferguson, very tense like always when you fight together," Wenger told Soccer Saturday.

"But overall it is respectful. I must say as well it is very difficult when you play against fellow managers, they get reported things that you have not necessarily said.

"In press conferences, they say 'Wenger said that' even if it is taken out of context and you then get people who are upset or vice versa.

It is very difficult to keep it calm and quiet, but over the distance the respect always takes over. Do you know why? We all suffer defeats, we all suffer disappointment and we all know that we suffer a lot.

"You always have respect for people who suffer, unless you are completely not human at all. You have to feel empathy for people who are in the same job as you."