According to former midfielder Dennis Wise, Tottenham Hotspur are still in Chelsea’s shadow and he does not see that changing anytime soon.
Chelsea and Tottenham are set to lock horns again on Sunday. Spurs hold a five-point advantage over their London rivals and a win at Stamford Bridge would widen the gap to eight points.
However, Tottenham are yet to win at Stamford Bridge since 1990, which certainly underlines Chelsea as the favourites on Sunday.
Wise, who played for Chelsea between 1990 and 2001, never lost to Spurs and was a part of the era where winning trophies became a tradition in West London.
The former Blues skipper believes that Tottenham are battling above their weight.
“I think Spurs have built well, but I don’t think they’re near Chelsea as a club at the moment,” Wise was quoted by the Evening Standard.
“Where do I class Spurs? They are batting above their weight. They haven’t won anything and haven’t spent a fortune on personnel. They have kept the nucleus of the squad and, from the outside, it looks like resources have been saved for the stadium.
“But as a player you want to win things – at Chelsea you do that. They may miss out one year but they’re back the next.”
Wise feels that the pressure will be on Spurs this Sunday at Stamford Bridge.
“It is more important for Spurs to push Chelsea out of the Champions League,” he added. “Chelsea will always be there competing for honours. But for Spurs they’re at more of a crossroads of which way they’re going to go.
“They’ve already lost in the Champions League and if Manchester United beat them in the FA Cup semi-final and they finish fifth, then it’s another season where they have failed again.
“That’s the problem they have. There is more pressure on them. They always seem to get themselves in a nice spot but fall short.”
Pochettino, without a doubt, has taken Tottenham forward. We have a chance to win the FA Cup this season but we first have to beat Chelsea this weekend.
Should we lose the game, the 5-point gap go down to 2 points and that will further heat up the top-four race in the Premier League.
