Player column: Ryan Giggs
Player column: Ryan Giggs
Eight-time Premiership winner
Ryan Giggs on what it takes to crossing the finishing line in first
place...
It's not always possible to play great football every week,
so not playing well and winning can make all the difference,
especially at this stage of the season. We've done it a few times
this season and it's what we used to do when we were winning
titles.
There is a lot of pressure come April and May, and the more tense
it gets the less likely you are to have high-scoring wins.
All the matches are going to be tight and you need to try and keep
your nerve because there will be periods in games where it looks
like you might not pick up the result you need. It's a matter of
keeping clam and staying positive.
At this stage of the run-in, obviously you need to perform, but
that can mean 'backs-to-the-wall' defending to stay in a game or
protect a lead, or creating chances to win it with our attacking
football.
One thing I've learned down the years is to block out all the hyge
that surrounds the title race. You have to be mentally strong and
not take in what opposition managers and players say or what
journalists are writing in the newspapers.
It's part of football that becomes easier to deal with the older
and more experienced you get. As one of the senior players in the
squad I try and pass that on to the younger lads if I can.
But the whole set-up here is excellent, the manager and the
coaching staff know exactly how to prepare you for the crucial
games. It's really a case of staying focused - not on what other
teams can do to lose the title, but what we can do to win it.
