By Alastair Himmer
YOKOHAMA, Japan, Dec 22 - Manchester United's Club
World Cup victory should provide the spark to ignite their so
far mediocre domestic campaign, captain Rio Ferdinand said.
The Premier League champions became the tournament's first
British winners when a Wayne Rooney goal gave them a 1-0 victory
over Ecuador's LDU in Sunday's final in Yokohama.
Their mission in Japan complete, the newly crowned world
champions face a tough turnaround with a visit to Stoke City in
the Premier League on Dec. 26.
Ferdinand admitted that losing to LDU after flying halfway
around the world could have had a calamitous effect on their
season.
"Hopefully this sets a tone for the rest of the season," the
defender told reporters.
"We've been inconsistent up to now and tonight we played
like the Manchester United of the last two years."
Ferdinand credited a war cry from United manager Alex
Ferguson for the side's refusal to buckle following defender
Nemanja Vidic's red card for elbowing an opponent in the face
early in the second half.
"The manager's team talk hit the nail on the head," said
Ferdinand. "I won't get into what he said but he got us into
gear and that's the sign of a great manager.
"Winning could be the turning point of the season -- from
being quite mediocre results-wise to challenging for all the big
titles.
"Sometimes you need to be told the basics and we were
reminded what got us here in the first place. Even great players
need reminding and we've got a few of them in our squad."
DREAM TREBLE
After completing a dream treble of the English, European and
world titles, United can ill afford a slip-up at Stoke or at
home to Middlesbrough three days later as the fixtures pile up.
"We have to make sure we get as much sleep as we can before
Stoke," said Rooney, named player of the tournament after
scoring twice in the 5-3 semi-final win over Japan's Gamba
Osaka.
"We've got to try and deal with it as best we can. We worked
hard for the win. I'm sure our fans will be really pleased to be
supporting the best team in the world."
The Club World Cup has traditionally been viewed with
scepticism in Britain and the $5 million United earned for
winning is loose change for the "Red Devils".
However, Ferguson defended the seven-team competition,
insisting it had merit and would give his team an important
psychological lift.
"To be world champions in December is a huge mid-season
boost," said the Scot. "It gives us a platform to start playing
with real purpose and chase the (Premier League) leaders."
United lie fourth in the league with 32 points from 16
games, seven points behind leaders Liverpool with two games in
hand.
(Editing by Sonia Oxley)