Man Utd midfielder Park Ji-sung believes the club's impressive list of previous triumphs has created unrealistic expectations.
Sir Alex Ferguson is currently embroiled in a spat with Match of the Day pundit Alan Hansen about the merits of the present United side.
Ferguson has reacted with incredulity over Hansen's claim that United are woeful, and have been for 18 months.
Ferguson pointed out on Friday that his side won last year's title by nine points, reached the Champions League final and the FA Cup semi-final.
However, as Park acknowledges, the absence of a star performer in the mould of Cristiano Ronaldo has meant the Red Devils lack the stardust associated with recent campaigns.
And while their results stand positive comparison with any previous seasons, it has been impossible to emulate the swashbuckling style of old.
"It might be that before we scored a lot of goals and that has a big impact on the fans," the South Korea midfielder said. "Their expectations become too high.
"Maybe also because we are out of the Champions League and the FA Cup, people think Manchester United is no good. But we can show our strength on the pitch.
"We are still producing good performances, we are level with Manchester City and can still win the title."