Disappointing end to proud record

We were disappointed to lose our 23-game unbeaten run at Old Trafford in the Champions League last Wednesday because we had fought so hard to keep it at the start of the month against CSKA Moscow.

We had control of the game and created some good chances, but Besiktas got a soft goal and managed to hold on to win 1-0. It shouldn't have been too much to ask for us to score one goal at home but we couldn't do it on the night and we're frustrated because we like to keep the momentum going and maintain a good home record. Long winning runs are important to our club, so even though we had already qualified the game still mattered.

We didn't do enough in front of goal and not scoring at Old Trafford is unusual for us. But there are some positives to take from the game - Danny Welbeck and Gabriel Obertan were particularly impressive.

So we go to Wolfsburg on December 8 needing a point to win the group. The manager may play a similar team in that game to the one he picked against Besiktas because we have eight games in December so he will be looking to utilise the whole squad.

With so much quality in the Champions League, the jury is still out on whether it is important to finish top of the group. Until the draw has been made for the knockout stages it's impossible to know if winning the group was beneficial. But we have pride at our club and after the way we started the group - 10 points after four games - we want to finish top.

We don't fear facing any team in the next round, but I would say that Real Madrid and Barcelona are particularly strong and Bayern Munich are always difficult to play against, although they are struggling domestically. The teams from Spain, Italy and Germany would give any side a hard game, but the English teams probably have the best record in the Champions League over the past couple of years and I think teams will want to avoid us rather than the other way round.

Liverpool deserve to be out of cup

Liverpool have failed to qualify for the Champions League knockout stage and they deserve to be out. If a team doesn't perform well and can't get results, then it will end up in trouble. Liverpool just haven't performed in the Champions League this year.

It happened to us in 2005; we finished fourth in our group and didn't even qualify for the UEFA Cup. Yet we won the Carling Cup that season and the Premier League the season after so we didn't find it difficult to recover. But that's what we do at United - respond very quickly and never get too despondent about a setback or carried away with our successes. We just focus on winning again.

In fact, I would call the 2005/2006 season a watershed for us and after Christmas we produced some of our best football. That was the start of the winning Ronaldo-Rooney combination; they got a taste for success after winning the Carling Cup and won the league the following year. We're happy with the way we responded, but that is not to say another team could do the same thing.

Despite their problems, I wouldn't rule Liverpool or any big team out of the championship race in November because all big teams are capable of going on long unbeaten runs and there is still a January transfer window to come. There are lots of league games in December and January and few distractions, so any team that goes on a winning run in that period can put themselves in a championship position.

Outside of the 'big four', Tottenham Hotspur recorded a fantastic 9-1 victory over Wigan last week, but I wouldn't say the teams at the top are overly concerned by Spurs. Teams that can put a long string of wins together are the ones we have to worry about and all the 'big four' are capable of doing that.

Over to you

How does Darren Fletcher compare to Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Cesc Fabregas and the other top midfielders in the Premier League? Paul Vassallo

All those players are different. Gerrard and Lampard are more attacking and score goals, although Fletcher has started adding that to his game. Fabregas is more of a passer. But Fletcher's performances over the past two seasons have been absolutely outstanding and he has become a really important player for us.

He has become a figurehead in midfield who has set the tone for our performances at times and we miss him when he doesn't play. All those players are equally important in their own right.

Send your questions to Gary Neville to sunday@timesofmalta.com.