Rio Ferdinand’s ‘something in the water’ jibe risks reaction from Arsenal and Spurs fans

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has taken a cheeky swipe at Tottenham and Arsenal as they continue their respective Premier League campaigns.

Under the guidance of Ange Postecoglou, Spurs started the season in fine form but have since slipped to fifth following a run of four consecutive defeats. The latest of those was a 4-2 drubbing at the hands of Liverpool, prompting Ferdinand to quip «there's something in the water» in North London.

Ferdinand, 45, shared his thoughts on the match during his Vibe with FIVE podcast, saying: «I watched the game. Actually the first five or 10 minutes, I thought, 'Oo, they're in for a game, Liverpool, here.'»

He went on to comment on Tottenham's lack of confidence, remarking: «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.»

As for Arsenal, Mikel Arteta's men are still battling to keep pace with Manchester City at the top of the table. Joel Beya didn't hold back in his critique of Spurs, highlighting the embarrassment of getting «slapped up» in London derbies following their recent defeats to Chelsea and Arsenal.

Stephen Howson sarcastically commended Tottenham, jesting that it was always going to be a challenge to keep up the momentum after Postecoglou's team «won the league in October.» That being a reference to the confidence of some Spurs supporters earlier in the campaign.

Why Arsenal will be hoping £60m Man United star plays key role after Ten Hag embarrassment

Cristian Romero