Antonio Conte hailed Pep Guardiola as the best manager in the world after beating his Manchester City side on Wednesday.
Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over City meant Conte became the first coach to record the double in the league over a team managed by Guardiola, and left the Citizens under pressure to finish in the top four.
Yet Conte was full of praise for his counterpart.
“Pep is really the best in the world," the Italian said, per the Evening Standard.
"If he never lost two games in his career, it means he's great and shows he's really the best."
Whether or not he genuinely believes that to be the case doesn’t really matter. Conte’s side are closing in on the Premier League title and he’s not about to say anything that could cause a distraction, hence the praise for Guardiola.
Meanwhile, the former Bayern Munich manager is finding out that success in England won’t come as easy to him as it did in Spain or Germany. City, fourth in the table, are winless in four and will be just a point above Arsenal and Manchester United if both clubs win their game in hand.
Tunnel bust-up
The pressure might just be getting to Guardiola. According to the Telegraph, the 46-year-old was caught up in a heated exchange in the tunnel at Stamford Bridge following City’s defeat.
The bust-up started between City’s masseur Mark Sertori and Chelsea’s fitness coach Paolo Bertelli, who were constantly arguing from their positions in the dugouts during the match.
The pair’s feud continued after the final whistle when they clashed in the mouth of the tunnel. Guardiola, who had made his way up towards City’s dressing room, came back down the stairs to defend Sertori and flew into a rage when Bertelli made a comment about his animated touchline behaviour.
The row didn’t become physical, and stewards quickly intervened. But Guardiola stood his ground and didn’t enter City’s dressing room until everyone had been directed towards their respective dressing rooms.
Conte's loving life
And while all this was happening, Conte was preparing his victory speech.
The 47-year-old has instantly endeared himself to Chelsea’s fans with his passionate displays on the touchline. Should the Blues complete the double - they are in the semi-finals of the FA Cup - then this season will go down as one of the best for a manager in his first season in recent history.