RIO FERDINAND has told his Manchester United team-mates:“We’ve got to learn how to grind out wins again.”
The reigning Premier League champions visit arch-rivals Manchester City tomorrow for a crunch derby encounter and are desperate for victory to avoid losing touch with the pacesetters. Although third-placed United have a game in hand, they are eight points behind joint leaders Chelsea and Liverpool. It is a worrying gap so early in the season and Ferdinand knows United have to get their act together quickly. But the England centre-back points to the experience of last season. Then, after a bad start, the Red Devils went on a run of narrow victories which proved crucial in clinching their 10th Premier League title.
Ferdinand said: “We had about a five-week period where we kept winning 1-0 a lot.
If that’s the way we need to do it this season, then we need to start doing it very soon. Results are important and we must start winning matches. We need to start grinding out victories.”
United have won only one of their last three top-flight games.
They lost 2-1 at Arsenal three weeks ago and then thumped new-boys Stoke 5-0, only to draw 0-0 at Aston Villa last Saturday.
Ferdinand, 30, said: “Results-wise it hasn’t come together yet. Performance-wise, against Villa, I thought if anyone was going to win it, it was going to be us. And, against Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday, when we also drew 0-0, we played some decent stuff. We hit the bar and we were the team more likely to score.”
City had the Indian sign over United last term under former England manager Sven Goran Eriksson and beat them in both league encounters. And that is something Ferdinand, who has now been at Old Trafford for six years, does not like to be reminded of.
He said: “We have not been the best against them recently. At Old Trafford we didn’t play well and they probably deserved the 2-1 result they got. But we should have beaten them at their place. They didn’t really touch the ball until the shot by Geovanni, which deflected off Nemanja Vidic and went in. They were very fortunate that day but I would take that if it happened to us, just to get a win under our belts. The title battle is different this year. Arsenal were up there early last season, then we were and then Chelsea started pegging us back towards the end. Chelsea and Liverpool are out there at the moment and it’s about us getting back into the race.”
It is ironic that Ferdinand should be talking about scruffy results when City will be parading someone who represents the Beautiful Game — and a man Ferdinand loves watching — £32.5million Brazilian superstar Robinho.
Ferdinand added: “Robinho is the type of player I’d have admired growing up as a kid. He’s a fantastic footballer who plays to entertain. He’s someone you’d pay to go and watch. His goal against Arsenal last week was just pure cheek. Did I replay it? No, my Sky+ has broken, but I’m sure loads of kids watched it again and again.
There are going to be a few players on the pitch on Sunday capable of doing things like that, so I’m sure it’ll be a spectacle. I’ve met Robinho and he seems like a nice kid"
