Source: Team_Talk
Vidic demands United improvement
emanja Vidic has told his Manchester United team-mates to cut out the defensive lapses that are wrecking their Premier League title campaign.[LNB] Defeats for Chelsea and Arsenal on Saturday should have been the start of a perfect weekend for United, who would have moved to within a point of Carlo Ancelotti's men if they had beaten Bolton at the Reebok Stadium yesterday.[LNB]Instead, the problems which are proving so difficult to eradicate reared their heads again.[LNB]A combination of slack marking by Jonny Evans and Patrice Evra moving away from the post he was supposed to be defending allowed Zat Knight to put Bolton ahead.[LNB]Then, after Nani had scored a brilliant equaliser, the visitors offered Martin Petrov far too much room to exhibit his talents as he cut inside Park Ji-sung to drive a second goal beyond Edwin van der Sar.[LNB]In the end, United were lucky to have the chance of settling for a point given Johan Elmander blasted a brilliant opportunity over the bar which surely would have given Bolton victory.[LNB]Yet, while Michael Owen's third goal in a week ensured United did not make the short journey back down the M61 empty-handed, the brutal truth is that they have now conceded nine goals in five Premier League games.[LNB]Even basement boys Everton have done better than that, while Sir Alex Ferguson's men are still to record an away win in three attempts.[LNB]"It is a big concern that we are conceding so many away goals," said Vidic.[LNB]"We have to stop doing it. We cannot let it happen again."[LNB]It hardly seems believable that the same defenders responsible for the present malaise should concede just 22 and 24 goals respectively during the entire Premier League title-winning campaigns of 2008 and 2009.[LNB]Rio Ferdinand's absence is clearly not helping but the England skipper was also missing when United went 14 games without conceding a goal during the mid-winter of the 2008-09 campaign that also included a trip to Japan for the Club World Cup.[LNB]As the man who now wears the captain's armband, Vidic feels the responsibility more than most.[LNB]"Over the last few years we haven't given that many goals away or even allowed them so many chances," he said.[LNB]"Before we have always looked strong, so this is not what we are used to.[LNB]"We have to play much better in our away games."[LNB]As United go to Valencia on Wednesday needing to breathe fresh life into their Champions League campaign before visiting Sunderland on Saturday, the need for improvement is immediate.[LNB]Ferdinand is expected to be back for the Spain trip, which Ferguson felt was sufficiently important to miss last week's Carling Cup tie against Scunthorpe in order to go on a spying mission.[LNB]With three successive goalless draws in Spain to look back on, including the 2008 semi-final against Barcelona, United do have memories of defensive solidity to fall back on, even if it goes against Ferguson's belief that victory is essential.[LNB]In addition to getting things right at the back, Ferguson must also decide what to do with Wayne Rooney.[LNB]The United boss may not have taken too kindly to Kevin Keegan's comments but they were given with the benefit of having been the marquee player of his era.[LNB]Few can understand the pressures Rooney has to operate under. However, as a former England captain and manager, Keegan has more of an idea than most.[LNB]The problem for Ferguson is a balance between keeping faith with a player who was so outstanding last season and getting the most from a team for whom Rooney is current third on the list of in-form strikers, behind Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen.[LNB]Antonio Valencia's long-term injury and a rather shorter two-week absence for Ryan Giggs also deny Ferguson the option of using Rooney as a lone striker flanked by two quick wingers, as he did so effectively last term.[LNB]Given Ferguson's assistant Mike Phelan yesterday revealed Rooney was still troubled by an ankle complaint, there must be an argument for giving the 24-year-old a complete break to give his body and mind a chance to recover from the physical and emotional trauma he has been through recently.
