I'm sure I'm not the only one to have noticed Vidic's improvement over the last year or so. He is coming on leaps and bounds and his containment of Defoe, a player who absolutely ripped him to shreds when he first came to England, was a marvel to behold, much for the reason of Vidic being well known to struggle against the nippier, slippery eel-like players of the league. He marshalled his man with certainty and 'one step ahead' positioning that drove Defoe to temper tantrums on more than one occasion. He also put in a perfect sliding tackle that averted a clear goal-scoring chance as well. I don't think the Vidic that arrived could have done that, the one we have here now could arguably be regarded as the 2nd best CB in the league after Rio - not just as part of the pairing, but in his own right as per his achievements in the league. He's the only CB that has contained Drogba also, which is a big notch on his built. I felt the old Nemanja could be usurped by Jonny Evans. His old level was OK, but outside of being the blunt instrument to Rio's finesse, he looked replaceable, but now, with his growth as a player, I think we have a serious problem with regard to getting Evans any solid rotation outside of the invariable impact injury Vidic will suffer at some point in the season. You simply don't break up the #1 and #2 CB's who form the #1 partnership in the league, and that's going to create its own problems. I wanted to bump this beings as I have had my opinion changed by Nemanja's new level and his capacity for improvement. He's not the brutish player many of our fans like to depict him as. He plays a very hard, but fair game and fancies himself as a player to boot. If you haven't been watching his improvement, take time out from your usual viewing habits and watch the nuance is our Nemanja, you'll be pleasantly surprised by what you see.
Re: Nemanja Vidic thread Completely agree. His foot work and comfort with the ball is amazing compared to what it once was. When I think of Vidic I see him running into opponents, not so much out of reckless abandon, but clumsiness. He tried his hardest to keep up. However over the last 8 months or so it has changed. He has become much more of a complete player. He moves with the opposition now. He has always had the stones. Now however he has the skill to back it up.
Re: Nemanja Vidic thread It'll be a tragedy if we can't keep Evans at the club due to a lack of opportunities. But what do you do when you already have the best CB pairing in the world?
Re: The progression of Nemanja Vidic I made the comment offline last season that Vidic fancies himself a footballer. The fact that Ferdinand and Van der Sar have complete confidence in passing the ball to Vidic under any circumstances says a lot about Vidic. I can't say that I've noticed the same things this season that DS has pointed out (I'm still downloading the torrent of the Pompey match) but I will say that Vidic running down Martins was impressive. This is definitely something to keep an eye on.
Re: The progression of Nemanja Vidic Was thinking the same thing , its kind of expected for him to mark Crouch but to mark Defoe out of the game shows a different kind of his game. His passing has improved as well I dont know if anyone noticed his long range or cross field balls are decent to say the least.
Re: The progression of Nemanja Vidic Yup, he's a player that you can have the utmost confidence in that he'll perform to standard. There was a moment at the end of the match yesterday where, fresh from receiving stitches above his eye from a collision, he heads clear a Portsmouth cross from a dangerous position, and it reaches pretty much the halfway line. Thats how to relieve pressure. I wasn't shocked, or even that worried, when Pique left, because I knew that it was inevitable. He was never going to get in front of Nemanja as far as I could see, and he didn't have any real affection for the club to stick around to stay on the sidelines for 3 or 4 years. Evans is of course a fan of the club, but I think he recognises his quality too to want regular games before long, and I saw a quote from him recently intimating that. I just can't see Vidic being dropped though, he's too good. Not a bad position to be in though is it, having the two best central defenders around in a rock solid partnership, with a youth product snipping at their heels?
Re: The progression of Nemanja Vidic I remember there was a small discussion about this too last season. Even before he came here, I always thought of him to be more than a brute physical player but it would take time for that to develop and display. There's no question his time next to Ferdinand contributed to that but I think this even started to materialize slowly two seasons ago and last season, a bit before halfway through started to become consistent and now Vidic is his own player. His skill on the ball has also been understated. It's nowhere near Ferdinand's ability but he can hold his own and as a pure defender there's no question he's the second best in the league and Europe at the moment. He can both deal with more chaotic moments depending on his instinct and physicality and he can also play the ball calmly out of the box and push the line up much like Rio has done ever since he came here. This is nothing new or surprising to me honestly. I fully expected this progression and I won't be surprised if by the end of this season it becomes even more refined.
Re: The progression of Nemanja Vidic Actually, if people really think back, when Vidic arrived he was billed as a hardman but a footballer in his own right, even a possible pick as a DM I recall hearing. His displays as he began to rise to form early last season earned him the reputation as the no-nonesense hard man, because that's his defensive style. He has definitely gained more confidence on the ball and more trust from his team-mates since, and so he's regaining that initial rep - definitely a footballer in his own right. I was also very impressed with how he handled Defoe. Previously I remember so many of these speedsters finding gaps round him - I clearly remember Bellamy making him look stupid over and over in a game in 06/07. He is clearly polishing up his act, and I really don't think it's United bias right now to say that Rio and Vidic are not only the best partnership but the 2 best defenders in the league, Carvalho close behind.
Re: The progression of Nemanja Vidic (Can't find the other Vidic thread)Vidic is complaining about the Manchester weather. So much for the hardman rep http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...arade-reveals-Manchester-misery.html?ITO=1490
Re: The progression of Nemanja Vidic If Evans goes, I'm glad we have another young CB in Cathcart to take his place.
Re: The progression of Nemanja Vidic He'll put his head where others wont put their feet, Hard as ********ing nails with Footballing ability , a footballing brain and the temprement required to boot. Since hes come hes had a few shockers , One at anfield springs to mind (Sheasys one) but to watch him and Rio make a show of Peter Puke and Defoe not just last night but at the Charity shield was incredible. I actually felt sorry for Crouch as he was made look like a pathetic footballer.
Re: The progression of Nemanja Vidic So Vidic doesn't like the weather and doesn't want to remain in England forever. Its always something with this club isn't it? Maybe Evans won't have to wait very long.
Re: The progression of Nemanja Vidic One of my favorite players. He's really improved on his quickness ove rthe past two seasons.
Re: The progression of Nemanja Vidic Crouch is a pathetic footballer. The cliche regarding him, "he has a good touch for a big man," says it all. Essentially, that means his touch is average for anyone else. Given that he can't finish and has below-average movement, he doesn't really have much going for him other than his height.
Re: The progression of Nemanja Vidic Not suprised that Vidic would want to leave -- I would say the same might go for Anderson, Nani, Fabio, Rafael, Possebon... The ones who are definite stays are the English/British lads.
Re: The progression of Nemanja Vidic The press are trying very hard to make this a big deal... when I don't think it is at all.
Re: The progression of Nemanja Vidic That interview is a load of bullshit. Vidic is super happy at Manchester and he is not a kind of person who would care about weather my God!Anyway the weather in Russia was not any different.But..... he was not married back then.
Re: The progression of Nemanja Vidic This is not good. If I was a professional, the chance of success comes first before nice weather city. Now all I am hoping is that he dismisses these comments and says he is happy because he is without a doubt the second best defender in the world.
Re: The progression of Nemanja Vidic It's not just the weather he doesn't like. Vidic hints at Spain move: Defender unhappy with weather and way of life
Re: The progression of Nemanja Vidic Heh heh just what I was thinking... Silly comments really...And the media as to be expected are making as big a deal as they can of this. And the Scouse lot are creaming themselves...
Re: The progression of Nemanja Vidic Vidic has just dismissed those comments. Right now on Sky Sports News. He admits saying he found it difficult to adjust, but he is happy to be a United player.
Re: The progression of Nemanja Vidic http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={F9E570E6-407E-44BC-800F-4A3110258114}&newsid=6616918 Vida denies criticising Manchester.