Tottenham have more “hatred” for Chelsea than Arsenal.
That’s according to former Spurs forward Darren Bent, who played against the Gunners and Blues during his two-year stint at White Hart Lane.
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– Chelsea’s moody match with Tottenham in 2016 is known as the ‘Battle of the Bridge’
Ahead of Sunday’s North London derby, Bent revealed he always feels more tension when lining up against Chelsea players than Arsenal stars.
And he may have a point with Chelsea’s ill-attempted 2016 game against Tottenham, which cost Spurs the Premier League title, known as the ‘Battle of the Bridge’ where 12 players were booked.
And Arsenal fan Bent told talkSPORT: “Spurs and Arsenal fans will always say this is the North London derby.
“But I felt when I was standing in the tunnel next to Chelsea at Spurs, there was more hatred between the players and the fans.
“The North London derby is huge and most Spurs fans will say it’s all about Arsenal.
“But as players, sometimes we lined up in the tunnel against Chelsea and there was real hatred there.
Arsenal are seven points behind Tottenham ahead of the Premier League clash this weekend.
Mikel Arteta’s side will need to eliminate any defensive mistakes if they are to have any chance of closing the gap over their rivals.
Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos both made mistakes leading to goals in back-to-back games against Burnley and Olympiakos, respectively.
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– Xhaka was responsible for Burnley’s equalizer in a 1-1 draw last weekend
Bent added: “If they’re going to play from behind, I understand that. It seems to be the modern way to play.
“But there comes a time when just because everyone is doing it and it looks good, you don’t have to.” If it’s there to be erased, erase it.
“You are watching Arsenal in Europe last night, where is the [Olympiakos] goal comes from?
“They play against Ceballos in midfield, he didn’t even check his shoulder, he didn’t look, loses possession… a shot and it’s a goal.”
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