To put it simply, the job of a central defender is to, well, defend. And more specifically it is to defend the heart of the team – the goal and the goaltender – from frequent attacks by what are usually the opposing team’s best and deadliest players. That is something that Manchester United’s Serbian centre-back does with near perfection. He does it in the air with defensive headers and he does it on the ground with excellent tracking, positioning and tackling. But to get goals from such a vital member of the defence is an added bonus. That’s what Vidic did yesterday. Not only did he shut down Chelsea’s deadly Didier Drogba but he also scored United’s winning goal on a header. For United manager Sir Alex Ferguson it would be enough to know that Didier Drogba was going to get shut down and shut-out but to also have Drogba’s nemesis score the eventual winner is icing on the cake. Vidic has long been one of the best centre-halfs in the game but – with the injuries to first-choice captain Rio Ferdinand over the last year – the Serbian international has become captain of the team. Given his ability to both defend the United goal and produce game-winning goals, captain Vidic surely must be the best central defender in the world today.
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