Phelan Praises Improving Red Devils

United's assistant manager Mick Phelan is as thrilled as anyone by the Reds' recent winning streak and is confident there is more to come from the side in the run-in...

Is there almost a sense of relief that the side have come out of the busy New Year period so well and, indeed, seem to be getting stronger?
I think there is a sense of relief, yes. We always expect the season to be long and tough, but we are really happy with the way things have gone. We’re moving in the right direction and we are in a strong position now.

The clean sheet run now stands at 13 successive games. As coaches how proud are you of the record?
Records are not something you go out to achieve – you find yourself in with a chance of breaking them. As coaches we are here to service the players. We have ideas and ways of doing things, but mainly we’re here to benefit the players and get them fit, focused and ready to play matches. We give them a little direction and they go and produce the football and take the achievements – it’s as simple as that.

And the fact that there has not been a settled back four has made the run even more remarkable…
Yes, even though we’ve had such a good defensive record, we’ve had several injuries in that area, so we've coped very well. We’ve given debuts to a few players this year and managed to maintain the sequence of results. For new players such as Richard Eckersley, Fabio, Danny Welbeck and Darron Gibson to come in and complement the team says a lot about the squad of players we have here.

Is it pleasing to have won so many close games?
We’ve had a few 1-0 victories this season and the way we have controlled games when leading by a single goal has been very pleasing. The overall form of the team has impressed us because it is improving all the time. But there are goals in this side: everyone’s weighing in from all over the pitch and I think we’ll see more goals between now and the end of the season.

When the side is doing so well, is it a challenge to keep the players grounded?
I don’t think we have a problem with that. What we tend to do with the players is emphasise the next game and how important that is in maintaining momentum. There will be the odd strange result between now and the end of the season, but we have the experience and knowledge now to be able to cope with that. At the moment everything is going the way we want it to go, but we all still feel there is room for improvement, which is a good sign.

Is it realistic for United to win five trophies this season?
Well, it’s never been done! But we are always challenged to produce football of the highest quality, to produce outstanding players, to entertain – that’s our remit as a football club. From coaches to players, there is a responsibility to deliver all those things and I think we do most of the time.

How do the coaches prepare the players for games in different competitions?
In the main we don’t approach each competition differently, although the only possible exception to that would be in Europe, outside our domestic sphere. Europe throws up different challenges – pitches, stadiums and atmospheres, but also systems of play, tempos and the quality of play, which is quicker and more decisive. It poses a different challenge, but the experience we have of playing European football regularly helps us.

Some pundits are saying the title race is between United and Liverpool, others that Chelsea are still the Reds’ main threat. What is your view?
As well as the top three there are other teams who could throw a spanner in the works along the way – Aston Villa are having a fantastic time at the moment. This season is interesting because teams from outside the top four are taking points from everybody, so it’s not as clear cut as it is when two teams run away with it. Between now and the end of the season there’ll be some surprises, and they can come from any team in the league.

Has that made this season more enjoyable?
Yes. Every game is a challenge and we can’t afford to relax. It went all the way last year – nobody is going to run away with this league. We just have to make sure that when the big games come, we’re prepared to put in that little extra in order to win the game.