Red View: Sunderland previews, Player of the Month competition + more

SPAIN'S THE SPRINGBOARD FOR SUNDERLAND TRIP Sir Alex Ferguson wants his team to take the defensive solidarity from Wednesday’s win over Valencia into Saturday’s match at Sunderland. A tight rearguard in Spain produced a first clean sheet in four games, and the first away from home all season. Previously, United had dropped valuable league points at Fulham, Everton and Bolton and conceded two goals at Scunthorpe. “The most important part for me was not losing any goals because we’ve been frivolous in our defending this season,” said Sir Alex on Friday morning. “We’ve given teams opportunities they would never have had in the past and we’ve lost points because of that. So I was delighted with that zero against our name – it’s very important to us when we’re trying to win trophies.” The Reds’ bid to win back the title will receive a huge boost if a run of three away draws in the league can end with a defeat for Steve Bruce’s Sunderland. The Black Cats are unbeaten on home soil though and they held Arsenal there a fortnight ago. “I watched the Sunderland-Arsenal game again yesterday – I’ve watched it two or three times now – and they played really well,” said Sir Alex. “They never gave in and that’s how we always remember Steve Bruce, [their manager, as a United player]. We’re going to have a tough game. We have to recover physically from Wednesday but the encouragement from the performance will hopefully get us back on track.” More:  Rooney return on hold | The ultimate away display | Valencia match report RIO: STAY TIGHT AND WE'LL BE ALL RIGHT Rio Ferdinand admits United's bid for silverware hinges on a return to the miserly defending which has characterised recent successful seasons. The England captain has returned from a knee injury, and his first target is the cessation of unforced errors which have trimmed six points from the Reds' early-season league points total. Having Ferdinand back in tandem with Nemanja Vidic at the heart of the defence should stem the flow, but Rio insists any improvement will be the result of a collective effort. "The platform for any successful team is to keep clean sheets," says Rio. "Me and Vida have had a great partnership over the years but it is not just down to us. It is the whole unit. It starts from Edwin and goes right through to the forward players. If the forwards are not doing their job, it makes it a lot more difficult for us. That is where communication comes in, so that we can do what the manager wants." Last weekend's draw at Bolton moved United to within three points of pacesetters Chelsea, and while Ferdinand feels the reigning champions are in reach, he admits the onus is now on the Reds to pick up maximum points with regularity. "When you drop points you put yourself under pressure," he says. "We put ourselves under pressure. We don't want to drop any points. I wouldn't say it is a massive difference at this stage. As long as we kick on from now and get on a good run of victories we will be all right." More: Rio: What crisis? | Wes Brown exclusive | Park: I must improve PLAYER OF THE MONTH: WHO GETS YOUR VOTE? Vote for September's star through ManUtd.com's online competition and you could win a photo signed by the award winner. Here's our shortlist of four - who will you pick?  Nani - Made two goals at Everton, one against Liverpool, scored one and made one at Bolton and was significant in the winner in Valencia. He's shown increasing maturity and, most importantly, influences key moments in games. Dimitar Berbatov - His silky finish at Everton didn't yield a win, but his hat-trick against Liverpool was the crowning moment of a fine month. An overhead-kick winner against your arch rivals at the Stretford End? Doesn't get any better... Nemanja Vidic - United's defence has come under close scrutiny for shipping nine goals against Fulham, Everton, Liverpool and Bolton. It's a team issue, not purely down to the back four, and but for the Reds' newly-appointed skipper, we might have suffered more. Ryan Giggs - The Welshman's hamstring strain at Bolton came as a serious blow; with Antonio Valencia out, Ryan's reignited left-wing wizardry saw him blossom in September. Enter: Vote now for your chance to win a signed photo of the winning player. This email has been sent to you by ManUtd.com, Manchester United, Sir Matt Busby Way, Old Trafford, Manchester M16 0RA, England. This email is designed to be viewed in HTML email clients - if you cannot see the images above, please open an HTML-compatible email account and then register the new address with ManUtd.com. If this email has been forwarded to you by a friend, please register with ManUtd.com to receive Red View directly from next week. 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