Lingard blames complacency for Man Utd woes against mid-table teams

Jesse Lingard questioned Manchester United's mindset ahead of the Boxing Day showdown with Newcastle United.

Published : Dec 26, 2019 11:05 IST

Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard.
Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard.
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Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard.

Manchester United attacker Jesse Lingard believes the Red Devils' struggles this season are due to complacency against mid-table teams.

United has beaten Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham and Leicester City, and drawn with Premier League leader Liverpool and Arsenal this term, however, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men still languish in eighth position.

The struggling giant has flourished with its counter-attacking pace but has come unstuck against teams defending deep – beaten by Crystal Palace, West Ham, Newcastle United, Bournemouth and Watford.

United has also been held by Wolves, Southampton, Sheffield United, Aston Villa and Everton, leading Lingard to question the club's mindset ahead of the Boxing Day clash with Newcastle.

"It's strange," Lingard told the Daily Mail. "Maybe it's a mindset thing. Maybe it's our mentality going into the match thinking we've already won the game.

"If we keep the consistency and mentality we had against City and Tottenham, I don't see why we can't win every game.

"It seems like our mentality changes. To keep that consistency throughout the rest of the season when we come against the mid-table teams, we need to have the same mentality that we did going into the City and Tottenham game. 

"When we start with energy and on the front foot, we'll cause team problems all day long."

United welcomes, Newcastle to Old Trafford on Thursday, seven points adrift of Chelsea – which occupies the fourth and final Champions League spot.

Solskjaer's United is also 24 points behind bitter rival Liverpool after 18 matches in the Premier League.

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