Source: team_talk
Fergie: No more silly slip-ups
Sir Alex Ferguson has demanded no repetition of the "silly" mistakes that cost Manchester United the title last season.
Saturday's visit of Sunderland to Old Trafford offers a reminder of that dramatic May Sunday, when United ended their final game at the Stadium of Light thinking they would be crowned champions, only for Sergio Aguero to score the injury-time goal that meant Manchester City won the title instead.
At the time, the gleeful reaction of the Sunderland fans rankled the United boss.
Ferguson's temper has eased since then, but what happened three weeks earlier, when United tossed away a two-goal lead in the final seven minutes to draw 4-4 on home soil against Everton, remains fresh in the mind.
So instead of reflecting on a handy six-point lead heading into the packed Christmas programme, Ferguson chose to remind his players where it went wrong 12 months ago.
"The issue for us now is to maintain our form and make sure we don't do anything silly," he said.
"The memory of losing the lead against Everton is the best one. Manchester United should never surrender two goals in seven minutes. That's what threw the league away for us.
"So, instead of looking at our situation it is about looking to win our next game. Our points total doesn't mean a thing to me.
"The best approach is not looking at the league table on a Sunday morning and saying it's great."
Nevertheless, a sense of satisfaction must be gained from United's 3-2 win over rivals Manchester City last week, if only because Ferguson knows it came against the team he regards as the major threat to his side's ambitions.
"It was a fantastic game, unbelievable," said Ferguson. "You definitely saw the two best teams in the league."
While Ferguson dismissed Roberto Mancini's belief that the match proved City were the better side in spite of the result, he knows United have reached the summit having tip-toed their way through most of the more hazardous away trips.
"We have been to Everton, Newcastle, the Etihad, Chelsea, Liverpool," said Ferguson.
"That is quite appetising for us - but then we lost to Norwich. It brings you down to earth and reminds you this is the kind of league where you can lose games."
Yet things do seem to be going for United just now.
A lengthy injury list has shortened dramatically, with Shinji Kagawa due to return to training on Monday after his knee operation and skipper Nemanja Vidic in the squad for Saturday's game after a three-month absence following knee surgery.
The injury was the latest in a catalogue of problems for the 31-year-old Serbian that began with a calf injury in August 2011 and continued with ruptured cruciate ligaments last December that.
"Getting an injury is an issue for players going into their late 20s and early 30s because they'll start to wonder how many years they've got left," said Ferguson.
"For instance, Gary Neville was 32 when he got his injury and he never really recovered from it. He had recurring injuries - it was his calf, then it was his groin, then it was his hamstring, his ankle, it was just a catalogue of injury after injury simply because at that age recovery is a bit more difficult."
Ferguson has yet to decide whether Vidic will start against Sunderland tomorrow.
However, with the Christmas campaign looming, there are lots of matches for the defender to get involved in, and Ferguson has no doubt the former Red Star Belgrade man can make a positive contribution.
"We hope we've given him the proper rehabilitation," said Ferguson.
"He's not had a lot of football, so it is an issue but we're hoping he sails through.
"There will be opportunities for him because he brings that great experience, that warrior-type of defending he's known for.
"I don't know whether I will start him tomorrow but at least we have him back and given the number of injuries we've had to defenders over the last two or three years, it's a bonus for us."
