‘They’re in pole position’ – Wayne Rooney gives his view on the top four race

Wayne Rooney has claimed the experience Tottenham Hotspur have in their squad could give them an advantage over Arsenal in the race for fourth place.

The results over the last few days have seen a big shift in the race for the final Champions League qualification spot.

Spurs thrashed Newcastle United 5-1 on Sunday to move ahead of Arsenal into fourth place in the table, with the Gunners subsequently falling to a 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace to blow the race wide open.

Tottenham have a much kinder fixture list compared to their North London rivals and the two clubs are also set to square off against each other in May, in what could be a direct shootout for the fourth spot.

Following Arsenal’s defeat at Selhurst Park, Rooney opined that the inexperience of Mikel Arteta’s side could count against them at the business end of the season.

When asked how damaging Arsenal’s loss was in the race for fourth, the former Manchester United striker said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football (4/4/22 – 22:04): “It’s damaging but I’m sure Arteta will be working on the reaction and putting it to the back of their mind. They’ve got important games coming up.

“They’re in pole position. I just think that they’ve got so many young players that it might hurt them and Tottenham have got a little bit more experience.”

However, Rooney insisted that the race for fourth is far from over and that Arsenal are still in a good position.

He added: “I think it’s a bad night for Arsenal. The way they’ve lost not just the three points. But I think it’s very important they don’t sort of panic and there’s no hysteria.

“They’re still in a really good position, a better position than Tottenham and Manchester United. They’ve just won five away games on the bounce, 15 out of 18 away from home, they’d have took that.”

Spurs Web Opinion

I would rather be in Tottenham’s position at the moment than Arsenal’s even though the Gunners have a game in hand. Looking at the fixtures of both sides and the fact that we seem to be peaking at the right time, I would be disappointed if we do not pip Arteta’s men to fourth place.

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