Edwin van der Sar hopes United can hit the ground running when the Reds return from a two-week international hiatus.
Sir Alex FergusonÂ’s side resume Premiership duties this weekend against Wigan. And the 35-year-old goalkeeper, on duty for Holland against Albania on Wednesday night, is urging his team-mates to make sure there are no slip ups.
United signed off before the Euro 2008 qualifiers with a 2-0 win over Newcastle, returning to winning ways after dropped points against Reading and Arsenal.
“A draw against Reading was not good,” said Edwin. “Last season we lost too many games against smaller teams. We have to make sure it doesn’t happen often.”
Opposition teams - more so at Old Trafford - have tended to sit back and flood the midfield with numbers. Newcastle tried it, using a 4-5-1 formation, but United managed to break them down. It is increasingly becoming a requirement for the Reds, and van der Sar expects something similar at the JJB Stadium on Saturday.
“You have to maintain the pressure on your opponents and be patient,” he says. “You have to get the ball wide and try to get crosses into the box. The middle areas tend to be packed so you need to look to the wings to find space.”
United are top of the Premiership table, but Edwin is not so enthusiastic at the notion that the Reds have made a great start to the season. “It’s OK,” he says. “We could have done without the draw against Reading.
“Hopefully we will be without injuries after the international break and be fresh to start again.”
http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&newsid=370442