Vidic downplays City´s five-point lead

Nemanja Vidic said Manchester United are focusing only on themselves as they aim to claw back Manchester City’s five-point lead at the top of the table.

The Red Devils lost 6-1 at home to their rivals recently as the champions’ defensive vulnerabilities were exposed after Mario Balotelli gave City a two-goal lead and forced Jonny Evans’ red card.

The United captain missed the emphatic defeat through injury, but claimed his side are unconcerned about City’s early lead.

“For the last few weeks, we have focused solely on ourselves,” he told the Daily Mail.

“We want to improve and play better. We don’t think about them (City) and what they are doing and how many they are scoring. That is not the way we are going to win the league.”

He pointed out the opportunities to regain ground over the course of the season, against a team unused to the rigours of competing on the two fronts of domestic competition and the Champions League.

“There is a long way to go,” he said.

“We have not reached the stage where there are six games left and they are five points in front and we have to think about what we have to do.”

“It is a long season, we still have to play them (City) again and they have to play the top four or five teams.”

He also drew a parallel between City’s five-point lead resulting from 11 wins in their 12 opening matches, to Chelsea’s four-point advantage at the same stage last season, which United went on to erase to win the title.

“Last year at the start Chelsea were playing unbelievable football. But in 10 months you are not going to play great football all that time. There will be good days and bad days,” he said.

“We are always looking to improve ourselves and never think so much about other teams and I think this is the key to improve, it is the key to playing well. That is the great thing about the players at this club.”

Alluding to his team’s failings in the 6-1 defeat, he said: “We are not a team who focuses completely on defence.”

“We don’t like to be defensive. We know we have to attack but, when we lose the ball, we have to get back as a team. We are playing now as a group. That is the only thing we have changed.”