Marouane Fellaini has said Manchester United must concentrate on maintaining their form instead of worrying about whether Chelsea are going to slip up and let them back into the title race.
United’s 2-1 victory over Stoke on Tuesday extended their winning run to four matches and kept them in fourth place. However, Chelsea remain a considerable distance away at the top and Fellaini believes it is important United do not lose focus when they visit Southampton on Monday.
“I think we wait for a mistake but we have to look for us, we have take it game by game and we will see after,” said Fellaini who scored the opening goal against Stoke. “After Boxing Day we have a lot of games and we have to keep winning.Southampton, as well, they are better in the table than us and we’ll see on Monday as well.”
Fellaini, who opened the scoring against Stoke, feels United are starting to gel under Louis van Gaal. “We know each other a lot better,” the Belgian midfielder said. “We know the manager and the staff so we know the philosophy of the manager. We train hard as well so we have to continue like that.”
United host Liverpool at Old Trafford after next week’s trip to Southampton and Chris Smalling is confident they can win both matches. “We are in such a good run of form,” he said. “We have got that belief back.”
Smalling is pleased with the way he has recovered after his sending-off in last month’s defeat at Manchester City. “That was obviously disappointing,” the defender said. “I felt I did quite well in the Chelsea game and then I had the City slip-up. But I felt there was a chance for me to take and I feel like I am really taking that. Hopefully it will continue.
“I am feeling good and it is nice to get a little bit of a run. Through quite a lot of my time I have had a good run and then it has stopped for whatever reason. Hopefully I can kick on and just get a good run and cement my place.”
