Rooney: City will face difficult defence

Posted Saturday, August 11, 2012 by ESPN

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney has warned rivals Manchester City not to expect an easy Premier League title defence.

In a campaign that will not soon be forgotten by fans and players alike, Manchester City snatched the Premier League title from under the noses of Sir Alex Ferguson's squad last season. Despite a lack of activity from City in the transfer market this summer, the club remain the bookmakers' favourite to retain the championship.

However, Rooney told The Sun that the pressure of defending a title could prove to be a bigger obstacle to Roberto Mancini's men than they expect.

"It'll be a different situation for them, something they've never experienced before but we know about it. We know all about it when you're trying to defend your trophy. We know that over the years everyone has tried to raise their game when they play against Manchester United," he said.

"Now obviously City are champions they'll have to face that. Sometimes it can be more difficult."

The Englishman also revealed that the Red Devils are driven by their last-gasp loss in the previous campaign to wrest the trophy back from their neighbours.

"I'm not sure we need any more motivation but to lose that way was difficult for us to take. It's a good chance for us now to bounce back from that. We know how hard you have to work to try and win it back but hopefully come the end of the season we'll have it back," Rooney shared.

"City have got some great players. Chelsea have spent a lot of money, so it'll be a close-run thing. But this is our chance to show everyone we are a good team and we're capable of winning the league this season. That's obviously our aim this season."