Mauricio Pochettino Claims Arsenal Are No Longer Spurs Biggest Rivals Ahead of Derby Week

Mauricio Pochettino claims that Arsenal are no longer Tottenham's arch-rivals, instead highlighting Chelsea as the club's biggest foe in the Premier League.

Spurs host Maurizio Sarri's side on Saturday in a crucial game in the race for the top four, while next week Pochettino will make the short journey across town for the north London derby.

But Pochettino has played down the importance of their match against Arsenal, claiming that the club's number one rivals has changed in recent years.

"It’s a good signal our fans want more every ­season and with rivalry, always you look at the teams above you," Pochettino said, quoted by the Mirror. "For us, Chelsea, Arsenal and West Ham have been our ­biggest rivals. But I think that has changed a bit because of our positions in the table.

"In the last few years, Chelsea were always on the top and ­Arsenal, after 21 or 22 years, were below us again."

Early on in his Tottenham career, Pochettino made similar remarks about how their rivalry with Arsenal was starting to have less sporting significance as the Gunners were in decline, while Spurs continued to improve.

However, fans on both sides of north London would struggle to make a case for why any game on the calendar holds more importance than the derby, even though Chelsea are closer to Tottenham in the Premier League's hierarchy than Arsenal.

Although Pochettino is eager to play down their rivalry with their neighbours, December looks set to be a feisty month in north London.

Spurs travel to the Emirates next week in the Premier League, but bragging rights over Christmas will be settled on December 19 in a highly-anticipated Carabao Cup quarter final.