Andre Villas-Boas: Rejects criticism from Arsenal's Wojciech Szczesny

Szczesny claimed Spurs "do not have enough quality" to finish ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea in the battle for two remaining Champions League qualifying places.

Villas-Boas, who takes his team to Chelsea on Wednesday, reckons the Arsenal stopper is playing to the gallery.

"He is entitled to his opinion. It is absolutely fine. You don't expect love from an Arsenal player to a Tottenham player. If it touches a bit of a lack of respect, it is normal in a rivalry," Villas-Boas said.

"I think it would have been a little more tolerable if it had come from a genuine Arsenal fan.

"Coming from an Arsenal player, he is an Arsenal player who is probably only passing by to another club, or who is not going to stay there for life.

"In the end if he means exactly those words from the heart - he doesn't, for sure.

"I wouldn't say that an Arsenal fan (player) that has just arrived in that club for the last couple of years is entitled to so much hatred towards Tottenham like he seems to have."