Tottenham Hotspur are only one point above the drop zone in the Premier League after falling 3-0 to Nottingham Forest, who moved ahead of them in the table after the result. Spurs have had weeks to marinate during the March international break and are currently taking in the new teachings of Roberto De Zerbi, who promises to be a significant upgrade on both Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor as the club's new manager.
Spurs are in a state of crisis, and while many Arsenal fans are relishing in the misery of Spurs going down during the same season in which they are close to closing in on the Premier League title, at least one Gunners icon isn't of the same mindset.
Jens Lehmann was the starting goalkeeper for the Invincibles Aresnal side and one of the best Premier League shot stoppers of the 2000s. He also played for Borussia Dortmund and was a star there, and he had a unique perspective explaining why he doesn't want Arsenal fans to go down - and these are words the Arsenal faithful would do well to listen to.
Spurs going down is not best for business
Here's what he told the Clutch 9 Football and Buvey podcast, “I would be happy for them to stay up,
for example, as I told you before, there was a situation in Germany where Schalke got relegated two years before and the Dortmund fans are happy about it, but when you ask the fans, they say, ‘Wow, we’re missing the derbies.’ And so you don’t really want Tottenham to go down because, you know, I love to see these derbies Tottenham against Arsenal.”
While there are some great rivalries in the Premier League like Everton vs. Liverpool and Manchester United vs. Manchester City, no rivalry in all of England has the same heat to it as Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur. The North London Derby was a dud this season because of Spurs futility, but most of the time, it is the most tightly contested rivalry matchup in the country and maybe the only rivalry that can stand up in terms of bitterness, fan banter, and quality on the pitch with the great rivalries in other top European leagues.
The Premier League can't afford to lose the battles between Spurs and Arsenal. When these two teams are at their best, it is blockbuster. There is all the animosity of the Schalke and Borussia Dortmund rivalry that Jens Lehmann is referencing in the Bundesliga with the same duality of hatred between two fan bases right next to each other. The additional globalization of the Premier League and the massive nature of Spurs and Arsenal add even more heat to this rivalry, and it would be very sad to see it go with Spurs going down. Careful what you wish for, Arsenal fans. Just ask the Dortmund faithful in Germany.