Victor Lindelof Says Manchester United Have a 'Problem' Against 'Lower' Teams

Victor Lindelof has said Manchester United must treat every game the same if they are to return to their best after struggling against smaller sides in 2019-20.

United are seventh in the Premier League table after picking up 16 points from 12 matches this season:

Half of those points have been earned in four matches against the top flight's bigger sides.

The Red Devils have beaten Leicester City and Chelsea this term and drawn at home to Arsenal and Liverpool—they are the only side to have taken anything off Jurgen Klopp's side this term.

The other eight points came from matches against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Southampton, Norwich City and Brighton & Hove Albion, but United have come away with nothing in fixtures against Crystal Palace, West Ham United, Newcastle United and Bournemouth.

In the heyday of the Sir Alex Ferguson era, it would have been inconceivable for United to lose to those four sides across a season, let alone in the opening 12 games of the campaign.

Speaking to Swedish outlet Aftonbladet, Lindelof said the Red Devils can solve their issue against smaller sides by treating every single fixture with the same level of intensity (h/t Gareth Bicknell of the Mirror):

"I generally think there is one thing we need to get better at if we are going to get back to the level Manchester United should be at: that's winning matches week in and week out. Sometimes it does not have to be neat, but you should win anyway.

"There's been a bit of a problem. If we go into the matches against big clubs, we're all connected, and we get results. Then a few days go by and we meet a slightly lower team, then we have to go in exactly the same way, not get comfortable. We start well, play fast and get to positions – but then we stop with it after 20 minutes, complicate it and play poorly."

United produced arguably their best performance of the season when they beat Brighton 3-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday:

It was an excellent way for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side to head into the international break, and the Norwegian will want to see a similar level of performance against Sheffield United in their next fixture on November 24.

The Blades are exactly the type of side United have struggled against this term, and they are in fine form, having not lost in five.

The Red Devils looked to have turned a corner at the end of October when they won three games on the bounce, all away from home, including a Carabao Cup victory against Chelsea.

However, they then produced a dire performance in defeat to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

United's fans will be desperate there is not a repeat at Bramall Lane, where any result other than a win would stall the Manchester giants' momentum again.