EPL: Who's on Defense for Manchester United?
Manchester United has another tough test on the road this weekend with the always entertaining trip to Anfield to face bitter Premier League rival Liverpool. Both clubs are going to be looking to rebound from tough losses; Liverpool was upset 3-1 by West Ham at Upton Park last weekend, while United fell 2-1 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
United will be entering the matchup in a bit of a defensive crisis with Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans out injured. Nemanja Vidic also joins the duo in the stands at Anfield as the result of a suspension from a red card earned during the mid-week loss to Chelsea.
Ferguson has already announced that Wes Brown will partner with Chris Smalling in the center of the defense for this weekend's fixture. It's safe to assume that some combination of John O'Shea, Patrice Evra, Rafael Da Silva or Fabio Da Silva will cover on the wings. Depending on Evra's fitness or how much attacking football Ferguson wants from the wings against Liverpool, we could see the Da Silva twins making their first Premier League start together.
The Red Devils' defense has always been their saving grace during Sir Alex Ferguson's tenure as manager, especially during the current Premier League campaign with so many injuries to United's midfield. So we're going to take a look at United's current defensive corps (in order of league appearances so far) and how they should feature over the late season run-in.
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Nemanja Vidic (28 League Appearances)
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Nemanja Vidic is widely-regarded as one of the top defenders in the world and at Manchester United.
Since joining the club from Russian side Spartak Moscow in 2006, the Serbian international slowly worked his way into United's starting lineup. His partnership with Rio Ferdinand over the last four years has been one of the best center back pairings in Premier League history, closely resembling the formidable pairing of Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister during United's early English Premiership dominance.
Vidic was recently handed the captain's armband, and it's become quite obvious, since he is the only United player to appear in every Premier League fixture this season.
He is a danger at both ends of the pitch, especially on set pieces, with four goals and one assist during the current Premier League campaign. Very few defenders in the league right now can impose themselves on a game like he can, and there is no way United would be top of the table right now without him.
Missing the trip to Liverpool via his recent red card suspension is a great loss for United. The annual clash at Anfield is one of the most highly-contested matchups in professional sports, and the club captain's absence on defense will be a weakness Liverpool will try to exploit. The Red Devils will hope to rebound following the defeat at Chelsea though, especially with a young and hungry Arsenal squad waiting to pounce if United starts a late-season slide.
Luckily for United, Vidic will only miss this one match and will be back for a log-jam of fixtures starting next weekend with Arsenal charging into Old Trafford for the first leg of their FA Cup Quarterfinal showdown.
Patrice Evra (26 League Appearances)
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The left side of the United defense has been a game of roulette for Sir Alex Ferguson, with versatile defenders like Denis Irwin, Phil Neville, Mikael Silvestre, Gabriel Heinze and John O'Shea all featured at left back for a majority of United's Premier League dominance.
Over the last few seasons though, Patrice Evra has firmly established himself as Ferguson's go-to guy at the left back position.
Used primarily as a winger or central forward during the early part of his career in France and Italy, the Frenchman came on Ferguson's radar back in 2004 while playing for AS Monaco, impressing in both Ligue 1 and Champions League play.
He arrived at Old Trafford in early 2006 with current United teammate Nemanja Vidic, quickly displacing fan-favorite Heinze at left back.
Evra provides great pace and attacking play from the left back position, while bringing stability to a defensive position that, as previously mentioned, has been a bit of an enigma for the club over the years. He has also filled the role of captain for the club in the absence of Vidic and veteran Ryan Giggs.
There's no doubt Evra will play a critical role in all of United's remaining fixtures this season and for years to come. Despite competition from young Fabio Da Silva, Evra put pen to paper on a new contract extension, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2013-14 season.
Rio Ferdinand (15 League Appearances)
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Rio Ferdinand is one of the highest-paid defenders in the world since joining Manchester United in 2002 from Leeds United for a British transfer of more than £30 million.
Ferdinand has well-warranted his high price with a return of four Premier League titles, two Carling Cup trophies and one Champions League trophy. He missed out on United's 2004 FA Cup Final, as a result of a suspension from all competitions for missing a drug test.
Despite struggling with a lack of form and the aforementioned suspension during his first two years with the club, Ferdinand has been one of the top defenders in both the Premier League and European Cup competition over the last seven years. Impeccable defensive awareness and positioning, combined with his large frame, have made it hard for even the highest-quality attacking players to find the back of United's net.
Ferdinand has struggled with recurring groin and lower-back injuries in recent seasons though and may be entering the twilight of his professional football career. He will be looking to reform his strong partnership with Nemanja Vidic in central defense upon his return from his current injury spell for United's late-season run.
However, the presence of young center backs Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans will place the veteran under even more pressure to regain his old form if he hopes to maintain his place at United in the near future.
John O'Shea (15 League Appearances)
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The Irish defender is one of two Manchester United youth products from the late '90s who are still with the club; the other being fellow defender, Wes Brown. O'Shea has played consistently across the defensive line for United over the years, but has also been featured as a defensive midfield option for Ferguson.
O'Shea has even pulled emergency duty as a striker and goalkeeper in recent years, making him one of the few players in English football history to play at every position.
The Irishman has become a fan-favorite over the years, spurring chances to leave the club for more first-team football elsewhere. He's struggled to maintain a solid first-team place because of injury issues, while his versatility can also be seen as a detriment, since O'Shea is more valuable off the bench for United at times.
O'Shea currently splits time at right back with young wing back Rafael Da Silva, but his previously-mentioned versatility will be a crucial feature for United over their remaining fixtures.
Rafael Da Silva (14 League Appearances)
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The young Brazilian wing back has quietly asserted himself as the possible long-term replacement at right back for United in the wake of Gary Neville's recent retirement.
Rafael arrived at Old Trafford with his twin brother Fabio back in January 2008, with both quickly adapting to the English game.
Rafael became United's primary option at right back this season with veterans Neville, John O'Shea and Wes Brown struggling with injuries during the early part of the current Premier League campaign. He provides a much-needed pace at a position that has been one of the slower features of United's attack in recent years.
The Brazilian has just recovered from a short spell on the sidelines because of a concussion. With O'Shea finally regaining full fitness himself, Rafael will most likely split time with the veteran defender for the rest of the season.
Chris Smalling (9 League Appearances)
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Chris Smalling has been one of the biggest surprises in recent weeks, admirably performing on defense alongside Nemanja Vidic, while more experienced defenders like Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans struggled with injuries.
Smalling has made a meteoric rise to the Premier League in a short amount of time, starting his career with English seventh-tier side Maidstone United in 2007. In the summer of 2008, Smalling spurred Championship side Middlesbrough FC in favor of a move to the London-based Premier League side, Fulham. He quickly rose through the ranks at Fulham, then-managed by Roy Hodgson, and signed with Machester United this past summer.
Originally seen as a bit of a work in progress, Smalling has assured United fans that he is an incredible defensive prospect for the future with his recent Premier League performances. Many wondered if he was prepared to take on the burden of performing alongside a proven superstar like Vidic, but he has outshined the veteran at times with close marking and strong tackling.
He was unlucky to concede a penalty against Chelsea in United's recent defeat at Stamford Bridge, but that is the only blemish on what should be a promising and rewarding career.
Jonny Evans (8 League Appearances)
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Before this season, Jonny Evans had been the primary cover at center back when veterans Rio Ferdinand or Nemanja Vidic were out of the side, with more than 40 appearances during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 campaigns. However, a nagging ankle injury has limited him to only a few appearances so far this season.
The Northern Ireland international is one of the few Manchester United Academy players to feature regularly for the side in recent years. He impressed early on during two separate loan spells with Sunderland in 2007 and 2008. Evans' performances in the center of the Black Cats' defense were critical to their Premier League promotion back in 2007.
Ferguson chose to keep in the side after his second loan spell, and despite not being as strong or as fast as your typical Premier League defender, Evans has used good tackling and marking to make up for such physical shortcomings.
With Chris Smalling making big impressions around Old Trafford in recent weeks, Evans hopes to get fit in order to remain a viable option in United's defensive rotation for the remainder of the current campaign. Ferguson hopes Evans will form a solid defensive partnership with Smalling in the future.
However, if first-team football at Old Trafford becomes harder to come by for Evans, he may choose to go the route of former United defensive prospects like Ryan Shawcross and Craig Cathcart (now at Stoke City and Blackpool, respectively). A transfer to a lesser club has helped both players improve their stock, especially Shawcross, who may make the move to a bigger club in England this summer (not excluding a possible return to his former parent club either).
Wes Brown (5 League Appearances)
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Wes Brown, along with Ryan Giggs, is the only player left at United who was on the team sheet for their amazing comeback victory over Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League Final (Paul Scholes missed out due to suspension). Wes has been a first-team regular since making his senior debut in 1998 against Leeds United, but has struggled with injuries over the last five seasons.
He established a solid partnership with Rio Ferdinand during the early part of Rio's current tenure with the club, but injuries and suspensions over the last half-decade have made it nearly impossible for the two to feature in the central of the defense together.
Brown has mounted one comeback after another over the years, with every stretch of fine defensive displays disrupted by an unlucky sequence of injuries. He made only his second appearance of 2011 during United's recent 1-0 victory over Crawley Town in the FA Cup's fifth round. However, if it wasn't for Brown's first-half header and veteran influence on the defense, United stood a good chance of being knocked out of the competition by the feisty fifth-tier side.
Brown will be looking to make his first Premier League start since November against Liverpool this weekend. A good performance by the veteran English international will be critical, with the possibility of Liverpool's new signings Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll making their first combined start for their new side.
Wes may be tempted to move on to secure more first-team football elsewhere, but it would be no surprise if he chose to finish out his career at Manchester United, the only club he has ever appeared for during his professional footballing career.
Fabio Da Silva (4 League Appearances)
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The second part of the dynamic twin wing back duo for United, Fabio Da Silva has had a much slower rise to the first team than his nearly-identical counterpart.
The lack of regular first-team face time is mostly due to the presence of veteran Patrice Evra at Fabio's preferred position on the left side of the United defense. Although Evra is rarely bothered by injuries, Fabio will probably be seeing more time in the United lineup with the crowded list of fixtures coming up for the club.
With mounting injuries in both defense and midfield, Fabio has been featured quite regularly on the substitutes' bench, but has yet to make a first-team start for the Red Devils this season. He scored his first goal off the bench for United during their 4-0 rout of relegation fighter Wigan Athletic. Fabio almost added to his tally against Chelsea on Tuesday, but his attempt was too close for Chelsea keeper Petr Cech to miss.
The Brazilian will be looking to push Evra for more time in the first team, but such a feat will be easier said than done, with the Frenchman displaying consistent form week-in and week-out. Ferguson may be wise to give the young starlet a shot on the left side of the midfield, especially with Nani and Ryan Giggs as the only players with experience playing on the wing.
Gary Neville (3 League Appearances)
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Gary Neville's appearance on this list is more of an honorable mention. He made his last league appearance for United during their 2-1 away victory over West Bromwich Albion. Neville was lucky to escape a red card and avoid earning a penalty for the Baggies after a poorly-timed challenge against West Brom midfielder Graham Dorrans inside the United box.
It became quite clear to both Neville and the United faithful that there was not too much gas left in the fiery Englishman's tank. His lack of mobility and pace, which was never that great in the first place, quickly diminished over the years, especially after breaking his ankle back in 2007.
Gary always displayed an immeasurable passion for the game with the club he has supported since his youth, but on Feb. 2, 2011, he announced his retirement from Manchester United and professional football.
Neville will be able to leave United with his head held high, carrying eight Premier League titles, three FA Cup trophies, two Carling Cup trophies, and one Champions League trophy (he missed out on the 2008 Champions League trophy due to injury) to go along with multiple achievements in other tournaments. He also made 85 appearances for England throughout his illustrious United career.
Gary is not done with Manchester United though. His most recent appearance was during United's trip to Stamford Bridge this past Tuesday, where he was sitting amongst the United faithful. Whether you like him or not, you have to admire such devotion throughout professional football's recent economic boom, riddled with big-money moves.
Unless you're a Liverpool fan.
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