Man Utd's Ferdinand: Chelsea can
haul in lead
tribalfooball.com - February 08, 2007
Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand insists their six-point
gap from second-placed Chelsea is nothing to be proud of.
United face relegation-threatened Charlton at Old Trafford tomorrow
two victories clear of second-placed Chelsea with just 12 games
left to play this season.
And Ferdinand said: "Six points is nothing. If we had lost at Spurs
last Sunday, it would have been three points so it's going to be
nip-and-tuck until the end of the season.
"That said, we're confident in the way we're playing football at
the moment and we've got the bit between our teeth to keep trying
to get results.
"Performances such as the one at Tottenham breed confidence, though
- especially after the defeat a couple of weeks ago against
Arsenal.
"A lot of people maybe expected us to fall by the wayside and drop
some more points straightaway.
"But we showed great character in getting results since
then."
United boss Fergie has billed Ferdinand's defensive partnership
with Serbian ace Nemanja Vidic as a major factor in the club's
title surge this term.
The pair have helped stiffen a United defence that has shipped just
18 goals in 28 games so far this season.
Vidic's aerial ability has also seen him weigh in with four
goals.
Ferdinand added: "We've never really had a settled backline since
I've been here. I've played with numerous different people.
"Maybe I had a settled one with Mikael Silvestre but even that was
interrupted a little bit through injury, so I think now is the most
settled it's been and we're getting our reward for that.
"We have a good understanding of each other's games and we're
always learning.
"Consistency is the key. People such as Alvin Martin, Iain Dowie
and Slaven Bilic had that consistency when I was at West Ham and
that consistency comes with age a lot of the time."