It's Vidic's bravery that sets him apart. Today, in United's 1-0 win over Wigan, Vidic was spilled in the area late in the game as he fought big, physical Emile Heskey for position on a cross. The collision was violent, but since the ball spilled favorably to Wigan, Vidic picked himself off the pitch when other players would have been content to lay there until the whistle blew. Nemanja, however, had defending to do, so he very quickly scrambled to his feet and resumed play.
In the past year, Vidic has been busted wide open on a number of occasions he's fearlessly thrown his head challenging for a high ball. He's come to the ground viciously after tumbling over the back of an opponent. I winced as he pulled his groin during the match a few weeks ago, I think in the Club World Cup, and he had to be subbed. He grimaced in pain, and I worried we'd be missing him for a very important stretch of games around the Holidays. Groin and hamstring injuries have a tendency to linger, but he was back very quickly, and soon enough United would lose Ferdinand. Losing both defenders would have made it very hard to gain ground on Liverpool and Chelsea, as they did with their win over Wigan today. The only negative of today's match, which put them ahead of Chelsea and just two points behind Liverpool, was losing Rooney for at least three weeks to a hamstring injury.
I'm thinking of buying a new United jersey since the red one I've got is pretty dated--it says Vodafone on the front and is blank on the back--and I've already got a Rooney England jersey. My next jersey purchase, which I'll make before my trip in April, will have to have number 15 and the name Vidic on the back.
Nemanja Vidic: impeding and bleeding, but never conceding!
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