After months of hearing how the Reds were using the 6-1 home defeat to the Blues as their driving force to win the league, the table have now turned and Savic says United leap-frogging City to pole position will have the same effect for Roberto Mancini’s side.
“We are more determined than ever to win the Premier League and we’ll all be giving everything we have to make sure this happens,” said Savic.
“Manchester United may have a four-point lead at present, but the fact is our destiny is still in our own hands and we know that if we win every game we will be the champions.
It’s going to be an interesting finish but we have the quality to do it and I believe we will
...Stefan Savic
With in-form Chelsea the next opponents for the Blues on Wednesday, Savic admits he and his team-mates will have to be at their best from now until the final day of the season if they are to win a first title since 1968.
But he believes home advantage will be the key against the side who ended City’s unbeaten start to the 2011/12 campaign.
“We knew Chelsea were a good team already so it doesn’t make any difference that they’ve had a few good results lately,” he said.
“Our big advantage is that we are playing in our own stadium where we haven’t dropped a single point and we feel confident of beating anyone there.
They have a strong squad, it’s true. I’ve never played against Drogba before and he’s a good striker, but we have plenty of players the Chelsea players will be worried about
...Savic
“We were a little disappointed after the Sporting game because our second-half display deserved even more than we got, but the reaction was very positive and it felt good to score goals again – we needed that – and I think our strikers will carry that confidence into the Chelsea game.”
Savic also admitted it had been a baptism of fire this season in many ways, with the stop-start nature of his limited appearances so far making it difficult to reach his optimum level of form – though his run of late is helping him progress.
“It’s not easy to just drop into the team for one game here and there so this run of games has really helped me start to settle into the team,” he said.
“I feel happy and will continue to improve each game I play. It wasn’t easy to come from the Serbian league to the Premier League but I’m feeling confident and will continue to progress through hard work on the training ground.”
