Title hopes rest on away form - Beckham
David Beckham believes Manchester United must start scaring teams on their travels if they are to stand any chance of recapturing the Premiership title.
Knock-out combat takes precedence over league struggles over the next few days as United open their FA Cup campaign against Portsmouth today before entertaining Blackburn in the first leg of the Worthington Cup on Tuesday evening.
Premiership action resumes at West Brom on January 11, when United must add to their tally of just two away wins all season – a record which Beckham believes is largely the reason for Arsenal’s five-point lead at the top of the table.
“We will have to improve our away form if we are going to win the Premier League,” Beckham told MUTV.
“We have to make teams scared of us. That is what it has been like over the last six or seven years.
“Teams fill their grounds because Manchester United are playing. It is a big thing to see their own teams playing against us – that is why we have to go to away grounds and perform.
“We have to remain positive and believe we can catch Arsenal. It has been a weird season because everyone seems to have won and lost a few games.
“We were encouraged by beating the likes of Newcastle, Arsenal and Liverpool but over the last five or six years we have won the league because we have beaten the lower teams.
“We have slipped up at times this season and that has been disappointing.”
After scoring in successive victories over Birmingham and Sunderland, Beckham has set his sights on exceeding his 16-goal tally from last season.
Manager Alex Ferguson believes the England skipper is now back to his best after a spell on the sidelines with a broken rib.
The stint out of the team was extended beyond what Beckham would have liked but after three substitute appearances, he now appears to have established himself in the starting line-up again.
“I hate being on the bench, whether it is the manager’s decision or my own, but that is the way it has been for the last couple of months,” he said.
“It doesn’t really matter whether you win or lose because you want to be out there doing what you can.
“It was unfortunate that I broke my rib because there was a point when I couldn’t even go on a bike.
“But I feel fresh now and I am glad to have scored those two goals. The manager has said he wants me to get 10 goals this season and that is what I should be getting.
“I want to score more and would like to beat the 16 I got last season.”
