We need to take every game seriously, asserts Jesse Lingard

According to midfielder Jesse Lingard, the poor start to the season of Manchester United during which they battled against mid-table teams can be due to complacency. The 27-year-old feels the team have a relaxed and lazy approach when it comes to taking on the mid-table or lower half teams. The Red Devils have shown true character when it comes to facing the big guns of the Premier League with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men registering thumping victories over Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City.

However, Manchester United have suffered defeats to clubs like Newcastle United, West Ham United, Crystal Palace. It has been a pattern where Solskjaer’s men fail to turn up against small teams with the most recent instance in a match against 20th placed Watford which United lost 2-0.

“It's strange, 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... When we start with energy and on the front foot, we'll cause team problems all day long. 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,” said Lingard to ESPN. 

Solskjaer's side have employed an effective counter-attacking strategy against the stronger teams but they have come unstuck against opponents who defend deep. They have also been nicknamed as the “Robinhood” as they are often successful in taking points away from the top clubs and gift easy wins to low lying teams. Meanwhile, Lingard has struggled for form and is yet to score a goal or provide an assist in 15 league games this season but the 27-year-old believes he is getting back to his best.

“I feel I've got my form back now and I'm back to my old self. Obviously, form is going to be up and down. When you're in a bad patch you've just got to fight through it, listen to the manager and the coaches, work hard on the training pitch and give 110%. I've done that and I feel really sharp,” concluded the England international.