Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli has confirmed that the Spurs squad dislikes Chelsea rather than north London rivals Arsenal.
Speaking to Copa90, Alli unveiled the reasons why Chelsea jumped in competition for the Spurs squad ahead of Arsenal:
“I guess if you ask the crowd, they’ll offer you a different response, but as players-the way things progressed in the league and the games-Chelsea’s rivalry is stronger than Arsenal’s because of what they’ve done to us in recent years. As for fans it’s different, as the North London derby is huge, but as players I believe it’s Chelsea.”
Chelsea and Spurs had some tough fights back in 2016, including the ‘Battle of Stamford Bridge,’ where the Blues fought back a two-goal gap to draw the game and give the Premier League crown to Leicester City.
Chelsea still has the bragging rights over Spurs this season, earning the league double over Jose Mourinho’s team-leading 2-0 away from home in December, and then 2-1 back in February in west London. But after Spurs hired Blues manager Mourinho, the rivalry has heated up this time.
Tottenham still remains in the Premier League behind Frank Lampard’s side, seven points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.
All this amounts to why the Spurs hate Chelsea rather than north London rivals Arsenal.
