Pep Guardiola has led Manchester City to six Premier League titles [Getty Images]
Former England captain Wayne Rooney says Manchester City “will have the edge” psychologically in the Premier League title race.
Leaders Arsenal, who are nine points clear having played two games more, travel to Etihad Stadium on Sunday (16:30 BST).
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Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, he said City “know how to win the title” and “have a manager who knows how to do it”.
“I think City will have the edge on that, just purely the manager and players they’ve got. They will be able to stay a little calmer than the Arsenal players,” said Rooney.
“They will be worried because when you go on a run and lose a few games, you start thinking ‘where’s the next goal, the next win going to come from?’ That negative mindset really has an impact on your performance.”
Manchester City beat Chelsea 3-0 on Sunday to take advantage of Arsenal slipping up with a 2-1 defeat by Bournemouth on Saturday.
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Rooney said that whoever wins Sunday’s “title decider” in Manchester will be favourites to win the league.
He added that he thinks a draw will be a “good point” for Arsenal, who may need to “play dirty”.
Rooney added Mikel Arteta’s side must “be tough to break down, make sure there’s no gaps between the lines and try to hit them on the break”.
He added: “Whether the fans like that type of football or not, they have to do anything to stop City winning. They need to be resilient enough to stop City from scoring.”
‘Will be a disaster’ if Spurs go down
Tottenham Hotspur, meanwhile, end the weekend sitting in the relegation zone, following their defeat at Sunderland and West Ham’s win against Wolves.
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Rooney said Spurs’ performance was “a bit flat” in the north east, which prevented them being able to have a new-manager bounce in Roberto de Zerbi’s first game in charge.
“Sometimes you get a bounce but I think you get that when a new manager comes in and you are front-footed and aggressive on the ball,” he said. “I thought they were a bit in between.”
The former England striker added that De Zerbi “needs to find some answers quickly” and that dropping to the Championship would be disastrous for the club.
“It will be a disaster for them if they do go [down],” said Rooney. “I think that’s where some of those players probably are looking at it thinking if they go down they can move on and go to a different club.
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“If they don’t get back in the Premier League in the first year, that will be an absolute nightmare for them.”
Tottenham have not won a Premier League match in 2026 and their next game is at home to Brighton on Saturday (17:30).
Rooney said they must figure out a way to win to help boost their confidence.
“If they can do that then they give themselves a chance. The longer it goes without winning is difficult for them.”
[BBC]
Watch The Wayne Rooney Show on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds
