Jose Mourinho has said he is treated worse than other Premier League managers when it comes to being disciplined for touchline behaviour.
The Tottenham manager was speaking ahead of his side's match against Liverpool on Thursday, a rematch of last month's Premier League game that saw the Reds come out with a 2-1 win.
Following that match Mourinho hit out at his opposite number Jurgen Klopp, saying he would be sent off if he behaved the same way the Liverpool manager did on the touchline.
Mourinho continued to suggest there was a double standard at play ahead of Thursday's game, insisting other managers are treated better than him.
“What I can say is when I didn’t behave well I paid the price," Mourinho said. "And I paid the price in two ways: one was to see matches on TV in the dressing room and another price was big-money fines and I feel that, for some of the other guys, it doesn’t happen the same. It doesn’t happen the same with them.
"But, if the referee and the fourth official are there to do that job, I just hope they do that job and act the way they have to act.”
Mourinho is no stranger to courting controversy but he said that at age 58, he has now mellowed out somewhat from his more fiery days at Porto, Chelsea and Real Madrid.
“In my case, I felt an evolution," the Portuguese said. "I felt an evolution on the emotional control. I felt an evolution in the calmer I am the better I can read the game.
“And I’m even happy that my assistants, they look to the touchline sometimes for communication and I stay in a privileged position.
"And I felt that I had to change my behaviour, which I’m really really happy with. That’s my personal case. I cannot speak for other guys."
Speaking about Thursday's match Mourinho admitted that Liverpool, who are now winless in five league matches, have been hit hard by Virgil van Dijk's serious knee injury.
“They lost a fundamental player, we can say what we want, we can try to hide things, but some players are special and they are impossible to replace so even sometimes the defensive process has a relation with losing an attacking player," Mourinho added.
“A team very stable defensively is a team with much better conditions to attack and vice versa. They lost Van Dijk. It’s very, very important for them."