Forget pretty football and focus
Nemanja Vidic wants Manchester United to forget about playing free-flowing football and just make sure they win enough games to wrestle the title back from Manchester City.
United were pipped to the Barclays Premier League crown by their local rivals last term despite scoring their highest number of goals in a decade - 89.
The arrival of Robin van Persie from Arsenal is a further boost to United's stellar attack but captain Vidic insists that his team-mates must be focused on points rather than goals.
'Sometimes the main thing is to play for three points, not just to enjoy games,' Vidic said in The Sun.
'We want to play great football but we want three points and we want the title. I think this year we understand that.'
The Serbia centre-back admits that losing out to City has refocused minds at Old Trafford and provided an added incentive to succeed this season.
Vidic said: 'I think sometimes when you win the title, the next year you have more confidence because you feel that youre going to win it again.
'But when you dont win the title, the next year is the one where you think "I have to push more, I have to work harder, I have to do better than last year".
'And I think thats the difference. This is how players think.
'We didnt win it last year - now we really have to perform better. We have to work harder, stay strong as a group and play for each other.'
Vidic missed nearly all of last season with damage to ligaments in his right knee, and revealed that his battle back to full fitness has been a long and painful process.
'Its hard not to play for eight months,' he said. 'Its not hard to train and do the gym work because I know the benefits and I have a real desire to do well, whether Im exercising or playing.
'Its frustrating when you look at the players training, playing football and being involved in games. Thats what I missed.
'What drove me on was trying to come back and be the same as I was before the injury or even better, if possible.
'Obviously it was a long time but at first I had to focus on getting the leg right.
'After that I had some physical work to do. But I gave my best to recover as well as I could, so that when I came back I would be fit and competing every week - that was my target.'
