Carrick and Smalling target second place

Reds eye second place

“We want Champions League football back here at Old Trafford. It's a must. Fourth is the minimum but when it's there, second is a realistic target and if we keep on performing like we did against Tottenham then I don't see why we can't give it a good push.”

- Chris Smalling

Manchester United can harness the quality of Sunday’s excellent win over Tottenham Hotspur and finish as high as second place in the Barclays Premier League, according to Michael Carrick andChris Smalling.

Louis van Gaal’s men enjoyed a fruitful weekend in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification after Manchester City lost 1-0 at Burnley and Chelsea drew 1-1 with Southampton at Stamford Bridge, results that preceded the Reds’ comfortable 3-0 victory over Spurs at Old Trafford.

United are now just two points behind second-placed City ahead of this weekend’s north-west derby against Liverpool at Anfield. Speaking ahead of that mouthwatering occasion, Carrick is adamant his team-mates are capable of overtaking Manuel Pellegrini’s off-colour Blues.

"Yeah, we have got to aim for that," Michael explains. "We’re within touching distance now. You look at the table and it is so tight. But I suppose really we’ve just got to look to the game on Sunday [Liverpool]. 

"There are going to be ups and downs because that is how it is, especially in the last nine or 10 games. Sunday is a big game for a lot of reasons and that is probably all we can focus on at the moment."

Smalling is similarly optimistic about United’s chances of finishing second, but insists the players must consistently replicate Sunday’s fine performance between now and the end of the season.

"It is all very close," says Chris. "There is only a point between us and Arsenal, and I think it's very open all the way up to second place, so we will be aiming for that, especially when we are playing those teams coming up.

"We want Champions League football back here at Old Trafford. It's a must. Fourth is the minimum but when it's there, second is a realistic target and if we keep on performing like we did against Tottenham then I don't see why we can't give it a good push."

With just nine games left to play this season, Carrick is even more determined to return to the Champions League and expects United to handle the increased pressure that traditionally comes with the season run-in. 

"For this club it’s the place to be, isn’t it?" he said. "We had been in the Champions League for so long and not being involved in the big nights makes you realise what it is all about. Hopefully when that pressure kicks in, and it goes up and up, then we perform even better and we’re going to have to do that in the weeks to come."

Meanwhile, Smalling has confirmed that van Gaal has instructed his centre-backs to bring the ball out of defence more often, which the England international did superbly against Tottenham.

Asked if the manager has asked him to be more ambitious on the ball, Smalling said: "Yeah, I think he does want the centre-backs to have more responsibility. I think quite often centre-backs can take the easy option and give it to the full-backs, but he wants us to take a bit more responsibility and I am enjoying that.