Will Jose Mourinho's Arsene Wenger-Themed Interview Tactics Work?

On current evidence, if Jose Mourinho coughs too loudly during a post-match press conference, he is liable to receive punishment from England's Football Association.

As one of football's most preeminent and charismatic figures, the Portuguese being handcuffed does little favours to the Premier League as a spectacle, but the FA has an obvious agenda to clamp down on individuals who are brazen enough to critique match officials publicly. Mourinho, rarely shy of offering his opinion, has become the proverbial whipping boy during this would-be offensive.

The self-proclaimed Special One, though, has a creative solution. It seems anything Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said without reprimand, Chelsea's trophy-laden boss has green-lighted for public consumption.

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Admittedly devious and petulant, the tactic is nothing short of brilliant.

Playing Chelsea in September, Arsenal had two men sent off in a largely controversial game. The west Londoners won 2-0, and Diego Costa earned a retrospective three-match ban for committing/inciting untoward conduct.

In the Brazilian-born Spaniard's wake, Gabriel Paulista was sent off, leading to Wenger labelling match official Mike Dean "weak" and "naive" in his post-match press conference, as documented by the Daily Mail's Rob Draper. The Frenchman evaded discipline from English football's governing body.

Football's considerable ire was cast upon Costa's less-than-honorable antics, allowing Wenger's comments to fly under the radar with relative ease.

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One fortnight later, Chelsea lost to Southampton at Stamford Bridge 3-1. It was Mourinho's third home Premier League defeat in over five seasons with the Blues, and feeling his team should have been given a penalty, he proceeded to give a seven-minute post-match interview with Sky Sports.

In his opening statements, the Portuguese suggested referees are "afraid to give decisions for Chelsea." Viewed as an overt claim of bias, the FA fined Mourinho £50,000 and issued a suspended one-match stadium ban for any similar remarks brandished in a referee's direction.

Responding to his sanctions, Mourinho told reporters, via ESPN FC: “The word ‘afraid’ [receives] punishment, and a hard punishment, but to say the referee was ‘weak and naive,’ referring to one of the top referees—not just in this country, but also in Europe—to call him ‘weak and naive’ we can do.”

A clear reference to Wenger's criticism of Dean, it appears great managers notice the smaller details, even after games are complete.

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Mourinho implemented the strategy in the Champions League when Cesc Fabregas was tackled in Dynamo Kiev's 18-yard box by Sergiy Rybalka—calling UEFA's referee, Damir Skomina, "weak and naive" in his post-match discussion with BT Sport.

On paper, it is the perfect crime.

If Mourinho escapes punishment, he has successfully unlocked the vault by which he can criticize match officials—piggy-backing off Wenger's frustration. If he is punished, Mourinho would be completely justified in suggesting there are two scales the FA judges managerial comments: One for him and one for everybody else.

Off paper, the FA can do whatever it wants.

Mourinho can—and probably will—attempt his scheme under Premier League jurisdiction, but consistency and the FA are not exactly married. Mourinho was fined £8,000 and warned for repeating he "preferred not to speak" in March 2014; calling an official "weak and naive" would certainly constitute more than purported silence.

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The most interesting element of this whole debacle is how far back will Mourinho's research go?

"Weak and naive" could be on t-shirts by Sunday afternoon, so could the Chelsea boss have multiple Internet browser tabs open, listening to interviews from Wenger, Louis van Gaal and others, finding unpunished phrases?

We should not put it past him, but "killing the messenger" is a notion that cannot be overlooked. No matter what Mourinho says, he is painted with an arrogant, petulant and acerbic brush.

Thus, coughing loudly might not get the Chelsea manager fined, but it would be dissected and examined for any possible shred of sarcasm.

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