[desmondo]

I think we are about to find out if we are going to challenge properly for this darn league or just make a "token" defence.

Villa away , City away - With recent big away games being a bit dissappointing these games now loom large. We will learn a lot about our team this season in the next weeks.

Will we turn up the heat and find that extra gear? Will the players look like they are hungry to have a right go at it? Or will there be more of the same poor finishing and lack of urgency?

NOW! NOW! This is the moment when we could see United actually look like they want to force their way back into this race.

These two performances (rather than results) will tell us if we actually have a chance or if we are just going through the motions of trying to be champions.

I hope it's the first.

 

[Keano!]

Chelsea are in the driving seat for me now but they are capable of dropping silly
points. I doubt Liverpools challenge will last and we normally, I say normally,
come good after and just before Christmas, which is important.

One thing for sure is that I doubt we can afford to drop too many more points.
Sluggish start, yet we're still motoring now. Hopefully the signs of previous weeks
are a sign of whats to come. We really are beginning to click for mea nd the squad depth is second to none, bar Chelsea's perhaps.....

 

[RtiD]

I for one believe we can up another gear but i don't think it's gonna be soon i would be fairly statisfied with two wins from these next games and staying in touching distance than trying to walk it in the net and miss our chances

 

[sparkic]

After these 2 hard away games there isn't really any away game that should trouble us. Last time at Villa they score first in the EPL and plus they just did something we failed to do - beat l'arse at the Emirates. We have a great record there so a win is really possible but it will be tough and I just hope they have a good performance and bring back 3 points. The game vs City is always a must win since they are our rivals and we really cannot let them do a double over us again.

 

[desmondo]

Do you agree though that these games have the feel of being decider games in terms of whether United will drift away in the league or actually put up a serious fight?

 

[RedMurph7]

These are big games and i would say you can take a lot from our performance as
to what way we are progressing this season. I don't think though that we have
to improve so drastically either from the Stoke match. Clean sheet and 5 goals.
Obviously the opponents will be far better but we've gained the confidence we
were missing in front of goal now. I think we have improved every game so far.
Ronaldo has recovered his form. Carrick is back in the team and Berba is finding
his feet so i personnally think we have already proved we'll offer more than a
token defence of our title! Hope i'm right anyway!

 

[akash_reds]

they are important games.......but city are not on a hot streak.....we have not been on a great run ourselves though..but the stoke result would have given a good morale boost to the squad........ AV will be very intersting....hope we can continue our record against the villans in the upcoming game...but berba's injury will be a worry...hopefully we can play well and get the required results....

in the case of the full season....we will have finished a lot of the important away games after the games against AV and city.........so at OT we can do a heck of job for the rest of the season....and hopefully we can win at OT against the top four...

 

[reddwarf]

3 tough games in a row (including our trip to Villareal in mid-week). If we draw either of the Premier League games it won't be a disaster but we can't really afford to lose either of them.

However, I'm reasonably confident that by 1st December we'll have 3 more wins behind us. The 5 goal mauling of Stoke will have boosted confidence and I'm hopeful United will go on a winning run now.

 

[dublin red]

The Villa game is going to be a real test for us . They are going really well and I'm sure that they will be trying harder than ever to try and put a stop to this theory that Villa park is a happy hunting groung for United .
Unfortunately there's no Scholesy to score any screamers but there should be plenty of opportunities for the other players to shine . I think the gods are conspiring against us this season . Very difficult away games after all our Champs league matches and pointless friendlies dragging our players all around the world . And just to finish it off the FA are getting in on the act now by giving our manager touchline bans .
I wonder would Sir Alex had got his ban if the english F.A. were banking on United to represent them at the world club championships and hopefully swing a football tournament in their favour . Just like they did back in 2000. They are a bunch of jellyfish , Spineless .
If United win tomorrow then I think it will set us up nicely for the derby game . Unfortunately for Mark Hughes I think if we beat City then it will spell the end for him as their manager . Personally I draw comparisons with Raneri, for Chelsea , and Hughes . I think the day the Arabs took over it was curtains for Hughes . If they are going to dish out the money then they will want a big name manager to go with it .
So please let it be a United win tomorrow . One thing is for sure we will make chances lets hope that someone puts a few of them away .

 

[Jay007]

I thought I'd bring this thread back up after yesterdays result.

We've all had our say over the game I'm sure.

But what now? What does yesterdays result mean for next weeks game? Is it now a must-win?

 

[Stephen]

The derby is always a must win.

 

[Jazz 16]

The derby is always a must win.

and by God do we owe City a doing over. I still havent gotten over the defeat
at home last season, especially with the week that was in it.
I was emotionally drained after that week

 

[TheManc]

and by God do we owe City a doing over. I still havent gotten over the defeat
at home last season, especially with the week that was in it.
I was emotionally drained after that week

Tell me about it. I don't think I have been as upset over a league defeat since Arsenal won the league at OT.

A loss against City is bad enough, but when you add the fact that they did the double over us, plus the week the match was in, plus the fact that they actually outplayed us, Arggh! It pee's me off just thinking about it

We HAVE to give them a right pasting next week.