Fletcher: We Can Play Much Better

Darren Fletcher says United must produce the team’s best form of the season to clinch the Barclays Premier League crown as the title race turns into a sprint for the finish line.

United are four points clear after suffering a first league defeat of the season against Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend. But Saturday’s visit of Manchester City at Old Trafford represents the first of a number of potentially decisive matches in the run-in.

Critics say United have not performed all season, and while Fletcher disputes the veracity of that statement he says the team can, and must, play much better on a regular basis.

“We feel we have played well at times this season,” says the Scot. “But we expect more – we expect more of ourselves all the time – there’s no ceiling on performance levels here.

“There are a lot of tough games to come and there’s a long way to go to win the league. We definitely feel as though we can play better and hopefully our form improves towards the end of the season, which is when it really matters in the league and the Champions League. This is when the big games come, the matches that ultimately win you trophies.

“We’ve got to go to Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal and we play Manchester City this weekend. There are a lot of big matches ahead. But we enjoy big games here and this club is all about performing and rising to those challenges.

"We know all of that lies ahead of us and we’ve never naïvely thought that the league is over. There is a lot of hard work to come, lots of big games and plenty of twists and turns I’m sure.”

The players will have to perform much better than they did against Wolves at Molineux, but Fletch ensures us that United are prepared to put in the hard yards.

“You have got to earn the title,” he adds. “Nobody is going to give you the trophy lightly. You have got to earn it off your own back.

"The team that wins the league will be the team that deserves it, the side that showed the best form throughout the season. Hopefully we can prove our title credentials in the next few months.”

Fletcher was speaking to ManUtd.com, Key 103, PA and BBC Manchester.