United’s Defensive Worries

Jumpers for goalposts..

Injury-hit Manchester United have been forced to bring the son of club chief executive David Gill in as emergency cover for a mounting defensive crisis.

via BBC Sport.

Well this has to be worrying at this stage of the season. Okay we’ve already qualified for the next stage of the Champions League but the fact is, we’re thin on the ground in most departments now.

We have eight defenders out of action, van der Sar is also out and we have our main two Strikers sidelined as well. I mean we have cover but they’re inexperienced especially when it comes to Europe. Sure we’ll still have Evra in there and I’m sure Ferguson will draft in Carrick to play centre-half but it’s a bad time to have injured players as United typically step up a gear over the Christmas period. Now that’s not to say Gill isn’t there on merit son of the Chef Exec or no he’ll be played on merit according to Sir Alex and I have no reason to doubt that, it’s just defensively a partnership is key.

In the past this has been key to United’s success be it Pallister and Bruce or Vidic and Ferdinand, a pairing in the centre of defence is vital just as it is up front and it’s these two areas that United have been hit the hardest. We showed against Spurs we can cope but in all honesty I’d feel more confident with the regulars back playing. Vidic is the one likely to be back soon as I think he’s only out with the flu the rest I think are unlikely to return before January and that’s 5 league games they’ll be missing.

I’m hopeful we’ll win/draw tonight and go through as group winners, I’m also hoping that we’ll do fine in the league but looking at the fixtures there’s potential to slip up with tough ties against Aston Villa and Fulham. In the end in Ferguson we trust, he knows the youth he’s got there and he’ll use them it’s just when league leaders Chelsea have two 11 man squads of Internationals the gulf in financial backing shows.