Levi Colwill says Chelsea’s rivalry with Tottenham Hotspur is “the best” and confesses to cheating a young Spurs team as a youth player.
As the two camps prepare for a huge derby on Monday night, there is no love lost between them. While the Blues have had a run of success since the early 2000s, Tottenham are on the rise and appear to be a revitalized team under Ange Postecoglou.
With former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino returning to north London for the first time as Chelsea manager, every element are in place for a tempting match. Colwill, a Cobham academy graduate, is gearing up for his debut senior match against Spurs.
However, after years of fighting Tottenham in the junior team, the 20-year-old is well-versed in the rivalry from both teams. Colwill confessed to his team cheating to beat Spurs as a youngster in an interview with the club’s media channel.
“We had the best rivalry with Tottenham growing up,” he said.
“I can’t really remember if they ever beat us. Playing against them home or away, we knew it was going to be a fight and we really enjoyed it.
“I remember once at under-16 (level) we played them in a cup game on the match pitch at Cobham, and we nicked it 2-1 or 1-0 in the last minute. It might have been a handball and someone scored. They were going crazy and it was the best feeling ever! It shut them up. They were the better team on the day but we got the win and that’s what matters. It was on the match pitch at Cobham.”
Colwill also mentioned that he will prepare his teammates who are unfamiliar with the hostility before the big game. Spurs are interested with a title push, and Monday’s game would be the ideal opportunity to get one over their opponents.
“I will 100 per cent tell my teammates about it, but most of them know what a big game it is,” he added.
“At the same time, we will help them realise what a big game this is. Their fans will be up for it. We need our fans to go out with the same energy and, make no mistake, we will go out and put a performance in.
“We have to put a performance in for our fans to be proud of, and for us to be proud of, to show where we can go. We are headed in the right direction. To beat Tottenham, the fans would love it, and we will do everything we can to get the result.”
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