Toby Alderweireld has reflected on the Battle of the Bridge a decade ago as Tottenham Hotspur face another big clash at Stamford Bridge tomorrow.
Chelsea fans would have liked nothing more than to be the ones to relegate Tottenham, but that can no longer happen after West Ham’s loss at St James’ Park on Sunday.
Spurs now only need a point to all but guarantee their place in the Premier League next season, and they will want to seal their survival in West London rather than letting the relegation battle go into the final day of the season.
The game has echoes of the ‘Battle of the Bridge’ back in 2016, where Spurs travelled to Chelsea needing a win to keep their title hopes alive, only for the home side to hold them to a 2-2 draw.
Toby Alderweireld admits Tottenham’s 2-2 draw at Chelsea is ‘craziest game’ he has played
Alderweireld, who was a key part of the Spurs side that was beaten to the title by Leicester City back in 2015-16, admitted that he never experienced a game like the London derby at Stamford Bridge that season.
The Belgian admitted that it was evident right from the start of the game that neither side was going to shy away from the battle.
Alderweireld told The Times about the ‘Battle of the Bridge’: “I was the only one who didn’t get a yellow!” Alderweireld says. “I think it was the craziest game I ever played. Foul, foul, the game always standing still and the yellow cards. You could feel the game from the first duel, the first foul, it’s like ‘Oh that was a nasty one’. Straight away.”
“The pressure had been building for a couple of weeks and all the attention meant everyone was so fired up. At that time, we were always above Arsenal, so for me that was not really the rivalry, it was much more Chelsea. With VAR you wouldn’t get a game like that now. Maybe I’m a nostalgic guy, but that was the beauty of no VAR.”
Alderweireld believes Spurs can win at Chelsea tomorrow
The Lilywhites will be taking on a Chelsea side which has not won a league match for two and a half months.
Alderweireld insists that Roberto De Zerbi’s men are capable of making it three wins from three away games on Tuesday and securing their spot in the top-flight.
He added: “Of course, Spurs can win. They have the situation in their own hands, so that’s positive, and this is not the best Chelsea team. They definitely have a chance.”
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