It might be the most popular club in the world, but along with Real Madrid, Manchester United are also the team that gets the most hate as well. That’s the price of being famous and successful. According to Phil Jones, one of the team’s best performers this season, it’s one excellent reason to be motivated for every match, especially after the slow start to this season.

Jones, who has been moved around this season from the center of defense to the defensive midfield and back, all depending on the type of player he has to mark, like the rest of his teammates needed something special heading into the match vs Arsenal. Knowing that it’s a must-win for them wasn’t enough. Every match has been that way for United since the season started and it hasn’t always helped them. For their clash with the Gunners, they needed something more.

The victory over Arsenal proves when people doubt us we are more than capable of standing up for ourselves and proving to people that is why we were champions last season. We weren’t champions for nothing. This is a step in the right direction going into a busy period. People want us to fail because we have won the league so many times. United won the league long before I was here. Everyone hates the best clubs, it is as simple as that. We enjoy that. We relish the test we get thrown at us week in, week out.

Where was that hate motivation when West Brom and Southampton came to play at Old Trafford? Where was it when they were crushed by Manchester City in the derby? Probably didn’t make its way through the bad tactics and terrible play of the players.

Manchester United did look more committed against Arsenal than in any other match this season, but it’s hard playing the ‘us against the world’ card when you’re the most popular team on the planet. Manchester United were far from perfect in their win over Arsenal, and it’s hard to say that all the issues that have been the cause to their slow start this year have been fixed.

But if Phil Jones feels that answering critics and widespread anti-Manchester United sentiment is what pulls his team out of their mini-crisis, who are we to argue?

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