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Football London
Football London
Sport
Luke Thrower

John Terry aims cheeky dig at Tottenham and Arsenal with Chelsea London derby claim

Former Chelsea defender and captain John Terry aimed a dig at Arsenal and Tottenham over the Blues' successes, while also claiming that playing Spurs was a "guaranteed" win whenever they met.

Terry played in 69 London derbies against the two sides across all competitions, winning 15 times against Arsenal and 17 times against Tottenham in his career.

While rivalries between near neighbours began, in recent years the Blues have had the better of the encounters both on and off the pitch.

Since the beginning of the Roman Abramovich era at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have gone on to win it all, with the recent Club World Cup triumph from Thomas Tuchel’s men completing the collection.

It has only gone to show the complete dominance of the side compared to their London rivals.

This has also been the case so far this season for Tuchel, as Chelsea have managed to beat Tottenham four times across all competitions, while also beating Arsenal in their only encounter in this campaign.

The league table also tells a story of its own, with third-placed Chelsea sitting eight points clear of the Gunners and 11 ahead of Spurs.

Despite their impressive showing in derbies this season, Tuchel was quick to downplay their importance back in December, saying to the 5th Stand app: “I think in the Premier League it is always the mentality. In derbies, you rely on what you're used to doing and do not overstretch the point that it is a derby.

"The special atmosphere helps you, you feel it instantly. Why do special things on a special occasion? Do your normal things on your level and do them consistently."

"In my opinion if you talk about a derby and being important, you will feel it when you go into the stadium.

“You will feel it before. The fans are excited, it comes to you anyway. No need to stress this point. We focus on our behaviours."

Perhaps it is this attitude that has given the Blues an edge in these encounters so far.

However, they clearly hold a place for Terry, who fondly looked back upon head-to-head matches with Tottenham in particular.

When asked which of the London derbies he enjoyed the most, Terry replied on Instagram in a Q&A with: “Playing against Spurs guaranteed three points.

“They shouldn’t be called London Derbys (sic) anymore because none of the London teams are anywhere near us.”

The message is a bold claim from the former skipper, who played in his fair share of heated London exchanges.

However, it does perhaps add a sense of perspective as to how far Chelsea are from the other sides in recent years.

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