The one scrap of consolation for under-fire Alex Ferguson before Manchester United's [Images] English Premier League clash with Chelsea on Sunday is that Jose Mourinho's side also lost in Europe in midweek.

Both managers are looking for a vast improvement from their players in a match United must win to keep runaway leaders Chelsea in sight in the race for the English championship.

Chelsea are 13 points clear of United, who are in seventh place and the champions are nine points ahead of surprise second placed side Wigan Athletic.

Ferguson could be forgiven for thinking the Champions League is the more realistic ambition for United, although Wednesday's 1-0 defeat by Lille in Paris has left them in a fight to reach the last 16.

Now, though, Ferguson needs to quickly motivate a group of young players harshly criticised by team captain Roy Keane if United are not to go another season without winning a trophy.

Their only victory in the last five games was against fourth-division Barnet in the League Cup. They lost 4-1 at Middlesbrough in the Premier League last weekend.

"At the moment we are missing a lot of experienced players," Ferguson told reporters after the Lille match in Paris.

Ferguson also needs to placate irate United fans.

"Our supporters had a hostile reaction towards us in the Stade de France [Images] stands and that's new in the history of Manchester United," he was quoted as saying in the French sports daily L'Equipe.

Striker Ruud van Nistelrooy [Images] said: "United have always been about good passing football, possession and creating lots of chances.

"They are basic things at Manchester United and we need to get back to that," he told the club's official website.

SET-PIECE FAILINGS

Mourinho's concerns are probably more with Europe where Chelsea relinquished the leadership of their group with a 1-0 loss at Real Betis in an uncharacteristically lax performance on Tuesday that had their manager fuming.

But he will want a performance of the kind that gave Chelsea a 3-1 win at Old Trafford last season where United clapped Chelsea on to the field as champions.

Captain John Terry said Chelsea had been found wanting defending set pieces.

"We have been sloppy from wide free kicks as well as from corners into our box," Terry said in Thursday's Evening Standard. "We have not been dealing with these balls and that's how Betis scored against us.

"It was our first real defeat of the season," added Terry, whose team have faltered after a scorching start to the season. They dropped their first league points at Everton in a 1-1 draw 11 days ago and three days later were dumped out of the League Cup on penalties by Charlton Athletic.

"We have a massive game coming up at Old Trafford at the weekend and we have got to pick ourselves up straight away."

Wigan, in their first season in top flight football, will try to consolidate their position at Portsmouth on Saturday before a run of five tough games against the elite -- Arsenal [Images] and Tottenham Hotspur at home followed by away games at Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United -- that will test their true Premier League credentials.

Arsenal, who, like United, have been left in Chelsea's slipstream, should pick up three points at Highbury against bottom-placed Sunderland with Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp due to make his 300th League appearance for the Gunners.

On Monday, third placed Spurs will be bidding to maintain their best start to a Premier League season when they visit fifth-placed Bolton Wanderers.

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