Former England captain Wayne Rooney believes Manchester City hold a psychological advantage in the Premier League title race ahead of Sunday’s showdown with Arsenal.
The league leaders, six points clear having played a game more, travel to the Etihad Stadium for what Rooney labelled a potential “title decider”.
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.”
City boosted their momentum with a 3-0 win over Chelsea after Arsenal slipped to a 2-1 defeat against AFC Bournemouth.
Rooney said whoever wins Sunday’s clash in Manchester will become favourites for the title. He also suggested a draw would be “a good point” for Arsenal and urged Mikel Arteta’s side to adopt a pragmatic approach.
“They must be tough to break down, make sure there’s no gaps between the lines and try to hit them on the break,” he said.
“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.”
Rooney Warns Spurs After Relegation Slide
Rooney also sounded the alarm for Tottenham Hotspur, who end the weekend in the relegation zone after defeat at Sunderland and West Ham United’s victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
He described Spurs’ display in the north east as “a bit flat”, saying the expected new-manager bounce failed to materialise in Roberto De Zerbi’s first match 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.”
Rooney warned the new boss must act quickly to turn results around.
“It will be a disaster for them if they do go [down],” he said. “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.
“If they don’t get back in the Premier League in the first year, that will be an absolute nightmare for them.”
Tottenham have yet to win a league game in 2026 and host Brighton & Hove Albion next. Rooney insists ending the drought is crucial.
“If they can do that then they give themselves a chance,” he said. “The longer it goes without winning is difficult for them.”
