Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic has insisted the players are fully behind David Moyes and that the United manager isn’t the one to blame for the disappointing results his team have picked up so far in what the Serbian defender as described as a “crazy” season.
Days after Rafael leapt in Moyes’ defence claiming that the blame should be laid squarely at the players’ feet, Vidic has reiterated the concept, suggesting that the backlash from Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement and a testing opening run with fixtures at Liverpool and Manchester City contributed to the Reds getting off with the wrong foot.
“In the Premier League, we had a tough start and that didn’t help us get our rhythm at the start of the season.
“We had changed our manager, there was a lot of focus in the media on how we would do, and we had a few big derby games to play against Liverpool and Manchester City. We also played Chelsea very early on too,” the United captain told the Mirror.
“Our results during that tough start didn’t give us the confidence to get going.”
With any hopes of defending the Premier League title all but gone, United must focus on clinching a top four spot or they could be in danger of missing out on Champions League football for the first time since 1995 and Vidic admitted even an experienced player like him has been caught by surprise this season.
“I didn’t expect it [this season] to be this crazy! I expected teams to drop points and I expected a few teams to get better. I thought Liverpool would improve, but I didn’t see them being where they are – Arsenal, maybe as well.
“I thought City and Chelsea would be up there and I thought we would be in a better position that where we are now.”
However, Vidic, who’s still to extend his contract with the club, which runs out at the end of the season, has so far been impressed by David Moyes as a person.
“The manager was very open from the minute he came here. He knew exactly what he wanted to do and achieve.
“We had some good training sessions and preparation in pre-season. But, like I said, at the start of the season, we didn’t hit that winning run, which would have given us that confidence to build and keep going throughout the first half of the season,” said the United captain.
“The manager is a good character. He talks to people. But it’s up to the players too. We are a group and it’s the group’s responsibility to deal with situations.
“My expectations were the same. They are the same every year at Manchester United, not just because we had a new manager,” continued Vidic.
“Those expectations come from the players, the club, the fans as well as the manager. At United there is always a demand to win games and win trophies.”
Dan

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