United Beyond Manchester

Manchester United drew 2-2 with Liverpool on Sunday in a much-improved performance after three straight Premier League losses. For Bruno Fernandes, the frustration lay not in the missed opportunity to secure a win but rather in the noticeable difference in effort between matches against top teams and those against lower competition.

Talking to Sky Sports after the draw, Fernandes said: “I’m pretty upset because if we showed this today against Liverpool, why can’t we do this every week?”

“We said before the game, we need much more from ourselves to get something from this season. We need to look forward. We need more.

“I wasn’t worried about people putting in effort today because it’s Liverpool, everyone’s going to try to do their best. I’m more worried about Southampton [after playing Arsenal in the FA Cup].”

The mention of Southampton is important, as Fernandes skipped over the Arsenal match. He knows his side will bring their best to a match against a top team, but they must be ready to take the momentum gained from the draw at Liverpool to Southampton, despite the Saints sitting in 20th.

The captain continued: “Today was about putting real effort into the game, playing with some passion,” Fernandes said. “You have the tactics, but at the end of the day you need to put effort in and that’s why we got something from the game today.

“It can’t stop here. We have to bring this frustration to the next games. To understand that this has to be our level, and if we can do it at Anfield we need to do it every week.”

Manchester United proved Sunday that the problem is not tactics or the formation change but a lack of effort and desire. United took the game to Liverpool at Anfield, the same Liverpool that sit top of the league by six points with a game in hand.

If Manchester United aims to salvage something from this season, every player must consistently bring their best effort to each match, not just those against top teams. The best teams in the world find the motivation to win every match, regardless of the opponent. If Manchester United wants to return to the pinnacle of the sport, the players need to discover this motivation, or the club must acquire players who already possess it.