Antonio Conte has started a war of words with fellow former Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri.
Conte won the Premier League title with Chelsea three seasons ago before he was dumped after a second second in west London, while Sarri only managed a year at Stamford Bridge, where he won the Europa League.
They are both now plying their trade in Serie A, with Conte in charge of Inter Milan and Sarri bossing Juventus .
But after Sarri made a complaint about the hot weather during Juve's goaless draw with Fiorentina, Conte couldn't stop himself from dropping a jibe at his compatriot.
“We didn’t put in a good quality performance, it was a very complicated situation, as Fiorentina played well and we used up all our substitutions with injuries and had no more fresh legs to introduce,” Sarri told Sky Sport Italia.
“With all those variables, we did well in terms of character to get a point out of it. We lost possession too many times, which may also be a consequence of physical issues. Playing in mid-afternoon in Florence when it’s realistically still summer is tough for everyone.”
Conte replied, when asked about Sarri's earlier quotes: “I don’t want to say anything, otherwise we’ll have to start comparing balance sheets and financial resources.
“Someone ought to calm down, as he’s on the powerful side now.”
Conte had masterminded a 1-0 victory over Udinese at the San Siro - with Stefano Sensi grabbing the only goal to maintain their 100 per cent start to the season.
"We are growing and I'm happy about our maturation," Conte said.
"But I also know that now you talk about us so you can beat us when something goes wrong.
"Today we talk about Inter as Juventus' main rivals. I know the game and it is what it is.
"But we have to keep our feet on the ground. Let others talk, we must shut up and work."
