Harry Maguire wants Manchester United to begin beating the teams below them in the Premier League table.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side, who face last-placed Watford on Sunday, are four points adrift of the top four after 17 games.
United beat Tottenham and Manchester City earlier this month, before being held to a draw by Everton last weekend.
The Red Devils have also failed to defeat Crystal Palace, Southampton, West Ham, Newcastle and Bournemouth this term.
And Maguire believes his team must improve that record if they are to have a successful season.
"We know there have been games where we just haven’t been good enough against teams from the bottom half of the table," the defender said.
"We can’t put our finger on one reason why that is. In games against top-half teams we have been brilliant, but against the rest we really need to improve.
“It is something we are working on. It is hard to break down teams who play with a low block and it’s something we will improve on.
“But, yes, we need to win those kinds of games. I have always said that to be successful you have to defeat the teams you are expected to beat. It has been tricky winning games where the pressure is all on us to attack and force the issue.
“But to get where we want to be you have to rack up the points against the teams below you – and then beating other clubs in the top six becomes a bonus.
“It’s [Watford] a game where we will have to be very careful. Watford probably deserve more points than they have got and we watched them last week when they caused Liverpool all sorts of problems."
After Sunday's trip to Vicarage Road, United host Newcastle on Boxing Day and travel to Burnley next weekend.
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