Rafael van der Vaart has stirred up the animosity between north
London rivals Tottenham and Arsenal ahead of Tuesday night's
Carling Cup clash by claiming Spurs are the bigger of the two
clubs.
Dutch midfield master Van der Vaart netted his first goal for
his new club in the 3-1 victory over Wolves on Saturday and then
turned his sights on the Gunners.
Gunner get ya! Van der Vaart believes Spurs are
bigger than Arsenal
The Dutchman is aware just how big the game is after talking to
international team mate, Arsenal striker Robin van
Persie.
'I know Robin and he told me when we were together in the
national team what a big game it is,' Van der Vaart said. 'But
there was no banter over who is the bigger club. Spurs are the
bigger club!'
After impressing in his first three games for Spurs, Van der
Vaart has admitted that it has been hard adjusting to the pace of
the Premier League.
He said: 'We are a team who love to play football. Although I
have only been in England two weeks, I love it. The speed of the
game is much higher than in Madrid. Teams like Wolves are really
strong and run all the time. You don’t get a break.
'Harry Redknapp is a great man with a great personality. I think
he could do the England job.
'He is different because in Holland, Germany and Spain you have
a trainer. He is more like a manager, watching over the whole
club.
'The biggest problem in England is driving on the left-hand
side. But I haven’t hit anyone yet!'
Off the mark: Tottenham's new signing bagged his
first goal for the club against Wolves on Saturday
Spurs boss Redknapp said: 'Rafael is a good lad. I think he’s
going to have a good time here.'