Nemanja Vidic: A Rock.

    Amidst all the furore over a certain contract extension at Manchester United, lost in all the lines devoted to money exchanging hands has been the news that the rock on which Sir Alex Ferguson built his most recent successes is all set to leave the club. And for someone so committed to the side of football we so rarely appreciate, it seems only fitting that Nemanja Vidic leaves the Red Devils sans any fuss whatsoever, just a man who feels his incredible work at Old Trafford has well and truly come to an end.

Football has two very different sides to it, the pleasing spectacle that the likes of Lionel Messi typify, and the hard-fought, battle-like approach that truly great defenders like Vidic bring to their game. If there was ever a man who epitomised the ugly side of football, the determination necessary to restore a certain order to the sheer chaos of defending, it has been the tall Serbian. Fundamental to United’s success for the better part of the last decade, Vidic has been at the cornerstone of their defence. More than just the act of defending though, what he has bought to the club over the years, as its captain, the individual marshalling the Devils, is incalculable. What he has achieved at the club, will ensure a lasting legacy for years to come, as a certain chant immortalising him rings through the hallowed Stretford End.

For a man who started his career as a striker, and arrived at United from the comparatively unknown environs of Spartak Moscow, Vidic’s transformation into quite

possibly the most complete centre-back of his times has been truly incredible. The recent spectacle of Manchester United’s oft-repeated capitulations to teams like Fulham has indicated the general state of defensive disarray at the club. David Moyes’ miserable tenure as the manager of the Red Devils has been a mixed bag of unconvincing wins, insipid draws and pathetic losses, pockmarked with desperation and a lack of cohesion. Take the Fulham game for instance, held at Old Trafford, once a bastion nigh on impossible to storm. From being a goal down, United surged back to take a 2-1 lead, and all seemed to be back to normal. However, on the very cusp of the final whistle, Darren Bent broke through United’s ranks to slot in a simple, if damning, equaliser. It seems like Moyes’ men have taken a fancy to Fergie time as well, albeit with a tendency to concede and self-destruct habitually in the last seconds before the whistle.

Turn the clock back by about five years, and all this would seem unthinkable. United had won the title in 06-07, 07-08 and 08-09, an unprecedented three seasons on the trot. Much of this was based on the defensive solidarity exhibited by the Ferdinand-Vidic pairing. The crowning glory of this phase was ofcourse the memorable Champions League victory over arch-rivals Chelsea, in 2007-08. It was during this time that Edwin Van Der Sar achieved the remarkable distinction of most minutes gone without conceding a goal in the Premier League, more than 14 full games, something possible only because of a rock-solid defence. Vidic was the enforcer of the two towering centre backs, Ferdinand the ball-playing pivot in their good-cop, bad-cop routine. An epithet that Ryan Giggs once applied to Nicky Butt, would seem equally apt for Vidic. He was, so to speak, ‘the lad you’d take with you to war’.

And that in a nutshell sums up Nemanja Vidic’s approach to holding the fort for Manchester United, for the best part of the last decade. A no-nonsense, take no prisoners attitude defined his game. Strong in the air, furious in his tackles, and gritty in his desire to win back the ball, Vidic wreaked havoc in the opponents’ box as well. An ever –present danger at set pieces, he was once brought on late in a game by Sir Alex and made to play upfront, as if to generate to another one of those miraculous escapes by his sheer presence. Somehow, he did exactly that, tapping in a late goal with the panache of a seasoned poacher. His ever reliable nature prompted the gaffer to anoint him captain on Gary Neville’s retirement, and he took to the task with aplomb.

However, success was followed with the pain of injury, which kept him and United from re-achieving glory on that scale. Injuries began to take their toll on him, with his knee dogging him persistently from 2010 onwards; keeping him out of United’s playing eleven on a regular basis. His importance to the side was demonstrated in their final-day title loss to sworn enemies Manchester City in 2011-12, one where he missed the entire second half of the season, fateful given the manner of United’s capitulation. However, from that nadir, came the incredible feat of winning the title by 11 points next season, with the added bonus of Vida (as he is fondly known amongst the United faithful) managing 22 appearances.

June 2013 was from where it all began to unravel. With Fergie bidding goodbye to the Stretford End, and Paul Scholes retiring for the second and final time, everything seemed to indicate the end of a Mancunian era. David Moyes ushered in a new reign, and with the league now at its business end, a sense of cluelessness pervades the fort that once was. Ryan Giggs seems set to call time on his playing career, Robin Van Persie has shown signs of unrest, but the biggest blow the team currently placed 7^th will suffer, will be the loss of their talismanic captain to Inter Milan. The impending move was recently confirmed by the Serbian himself, ending months of speculation, and giving way to further trepidation for the red half of Manchester.

Nemanja Vidic will be leaving United in the midst of turmoil, 15 trophies and 8 years after he first arrived at the club. Slowly, but surely, the last vestiges of players who defined Sir Alex’s time at the club are on their way out, including the likes of Ferdinand and Evra. In what is fast transforming into a crisis of sorts, United will be left bereft of their leader, something certain to shatter their already embattled sang froid. The Champions League looks a distant dream, a remote possibility. With it comes an inability to attract the players Manchester United would have normally targeted. A beleaguered defence, a threadbare central midfield, and a frustrated attack, seems a poor legacy for Vidic to leave behind. In his wake also comes talk of how United’s next club captain will be selected based on contractual demands, a farcical turn of events that would make a man who epitomised integrity and dedication recoil.  Nemanja Vidic will be missed, for his goals, his commanding presence in the air, his work ethic, but most importantly, for the fear he caused in every opponent unfortunate enough to come up against him and wonder if what the sea of red said about him really was true: He’ll fuckin’ murder ya.  


Author:
 
Somdeep Dey

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