Gareth Bale: Arsenal on the slide

Gareth Bale today claimed Arsenal have gone backwards after selling Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri but says Tottenham's determination to keep Luka Modric has paid off.

Spurs' 2-1 victory in the north London derby yesterday saw them rise to sixth in the Premier League while Arsenal slipped to 15th - the lowest position they have been in after at least six games since 1994.

The Gunners' dire start comes after a summer in which Fabregas and Nasri were sold to Barcelona and Manchester City respectively for a total of £58m.

That contrasted with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy's refusal to sell Modric to Chelsea despite the Croatia midfielder going public with his desire to leave.

Bale says Arsenal do not have the same aura about them now that their two playmakers have been sold, along with full-back Gael Clichy, while making it clear how integral Modric has been in a run of four successive League victories.

"Arsenal have lost a few players, which makes them more beatable I think as that has damaged the way they play," said the Spurs midfielder. "We exposed that. I think keeping your best players is a massive thing. They are used to how you play and what you do. It is vitally important to do that and build your team around them.

"It is important that we have kept him [Modric], and Arsenal were unlucky not to keep theirs.

"But they are still a great team. They haven't had the best of starts but I am sure they will improve. They have a lot of young players who are going to grow up in the next season or two and learn a lot. I am sure they will be fine.

"For us it's massive for to beat the bigger teams, and especially our local rivals, which is important - not just for us but the fans."