Since Manchester United beat Newcastle 6-0 a month ago (despite the game being goalless at the interval), they haven’t been terribly good. Sunday’s derby defeat didn’t come out of the blue; it was merely a continuation of some very average performances from the champions in recent weeks.

This is the second game running in which the Red Devils have been second-best on the pitch; anyone who watched the 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane a week ago will admit that Tottenham ran the show and should have been out of sight before Carlos Tevez equalised at the death.

So why have United seemingly begun to falter just as the season enters what their manager likes to describe as ‘squeaky-bum time’? Could it be that their reliance on Cristiano Ronaldo for goals and creative play is starting to show? City had the Portuguese international well shackled on Sunday, while he didn’t have a sniff at the Lane the previous week.

'Sir Alex Ferguson will be anxious for his team to play themselves into some kind of form ahead of their midweek trip to Lyon in the Champions League'


Others might argue that the absence of Wayne Rooney cost the team dear on Sunday, as it has done on the three previous occasions they’ve lost a league match this season. However, the England striker has only managed three goals in his last 13 matches and he could hardly be blamed for United’s uncharacteristic sloppiness at the back, especially Darius Vassell’s opener in the derby where the defence was all at sea.

One thing’s for sure, the champions need to recover quickly from this blip or talk of winning the treble will be reduced to simply finishing above Chelsea in the Premier League. Arsenal visit Old Trafford on Saturday in the FA Cup and this match now takes on an extra significance considering United have failed to win either of the past two matches. In addition to beating their main rivals and staying in the competition, Sir Alex Ferguson will be anxious for his team to play themselves into some kind of form ahead of their midweek trip to Lyon in the Champions League.

Indeed, Fergie must be secretly delighted that his team are facing one of the weaker outfits left in the European competition next week and not an AC Milan or Barcelona. If they can ride out the storm over the next fortnight, they have a nice easy trip to St James’ Park to consolidate their league position and kick on for the title.

However, a question remark remains over their reliance on Ronaldo, especially with the likes of Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs entering the twilight years of their career. It’s also worth bearing in mind that the promising duo of Anderson and Nani are still vastly inexperienced, having only signed for the champions last summer.

Have Manchester United lost the plot or is this all a bit of a knee-jerk reaction? Post your comments below or submit an article to Ssportingo.