Tottenham's recent struggles aren't a laughing matter – unless you're Rio Ferdinand.
The Manchester United legend has taken a jab at both Spurs supporters and rivals Arsenal after both clubs recently launched their efforts at Premier League greatness. Ange Postecoglou got off to a stupendous start as Spurs boss and led the standings earlier this season, while the Gunners are still striving to hold off Manchester City at the summit.
However, Tottenham's campaign has tailed off after a stretch of four straight losses dropped the club down to fifth. The most recent of those was a 4-2 hammering at Liverpool on Sunday, which led Ferdinand to joke "there's something in the water" in north London.
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"I watched the game. Actually the first five or 10 minutes, I thought, 'Oo, they're in for a game, Liverpool, here'," the former England defender told co-hosts Stephen Howson and Joel Beya on his Vibe with FIVE podcast. "Spurs, you can see the lack of confidence, because they couldn't react to that shift in momentum.
"Sometimes, you get rocked in games and you can sturdy your feet and get back into it, but Spurs never looked like they could do that. I think the games recently [four straight defeats] have really knocked them for six and confidence is dead. It's shot."
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Beya sought to pile further misery on Spurs when he suggested it was embarrassing for the club getting "slapped up" in London derbies, having recently lost back-to-back games against Chelsea and Arsenal. Howson responded with false praise of Tottenham, joking it was always going to be hard to maintain levels after Postecoglou's side "won the league in October".
"There's something in the water in north London," quipped Ferdinand in response, referencing Arsenal's early pride before a late fall in last season's title race. And Howson quickly responded: "Yeah, [and] it ain't champagne."
After four tough losses against elite opposition, Spurs now have a palate-cleansing fixture at home to relegation-threatened Burnley on Saturday. They then host title-challenging Manchester City, who haven't beaten Spurs on their own patch since 2018.
Arsenal, meanwhile, travel to Old Trafford on Sunday and will look to stay in front at the top of the standings while piling more woes upon a United team reeling from a 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace. And many among the Gunners faithful would like nothing more than to get one over Ferdinand's old team while improving their own bid for a first league title since 2004.
