Dele Alli has shared what he found strange about the rivalry with Arsenal during his time at Tottenham Hotspur.
Dele Alli was a key part of the Spurs side which threatened to clinch the Premier League title under Mauricio Pochettino.
Tottenham finished third in Dele’s first year with the club, with the 28-year-old scoring 10 goals in the top-flight.
Meanwhile, they came second the following year, with Dele finding the back of the net 18 times.
It was, of course, Chelsea who ended Tottenham’s title hopes in the 2015/16 season. The two sides played out an ill-tempered 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge which will go down in Premier League infamy.
Meanwhile, it was the Blues who finished above Spurs the following year.
Dele Alli shared what he found strange about Arsenal rivalry during Tottenham spell
That may perhaps explain why Dele has now told Monday Night Football (broadcast on 15/4; 18:55) that that rivalry between Arsenal and Tottenham actually seemed to be less of a focus during his time with Spurs.
“I don’t know why but during my time at Tottenham I felt like Arsenal and Tottenham always had the rivalry, but the Chelsea vs Tottenham thing, that became more personal,” he said.
“We always wanted to beat them and we had the Battle of the Bridge and games like that and I think the dynamic changed and we weren’t concentrating on Arsenal as much, it was more Chelsea. And then I think you know as it happens it changes, maybe Arsenal have taken over a bit more right now but I think Tottenham are going through a transition and hopefully they can get back on top.”
Gunners were heading in wrong direction while Spurs were ascending
It was Arsenal who finished above Tottenham in 2016. However, while Spurs were in the ascent for much of Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure, the Gunners were in decline.
Arsene Wenger’s incredible spell in charge was coming towards its conclusion. And there seemed to be growing discontent amongst the supporters as Arsenal struggled to recapture past glories.
It has obviously taken the Gunners some time to get back to that level. Their title challenge last season seemed to come out of nowhere. And after their result on Sunday, it appears that there is a good chance that Arsenal’s wait for a league title will extend beyond two decades.
By the time Dele left Tottenham, Spurs were heading in the wrong direction again. Despite reaching the Champions League final in 2019, Tottenham appeared to be going backwards for a little while.
Dele was one of those who struggled to build on that amazing couple of years. But Tottenham are improving again.
And despite what the rivalry may have been like before, Tottenham fans would love little more than to put a further dent in Arsenal’s title hopes this season.
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