its not the most obvious or 'sexayyy' position to talk about but for me central defence has been shown to be woefully lacking depth this season, especially after the injuries and suspensions we've had back there.
when rio and vidic are back there they are solid and an immense force to be reckoned with, but as we have seen them being there is not always guaranteed when injuries,suspensions and sheer volume of games come into play- when the patnership is broken up we haven't had enough cover at the right level to make sure that one or both of them being out isnt a major issue.
johnny evans will be a class player in the future and is the real deal, but the guy is young and still learning, also just having one player of any note back there to cover both rio and vida has been insufficient as we've seen this season. the excise or argument that o'shea,we or nev can just be moved there when they are all fit and playing as cover for agame or two doesn't hold water for me -none of them are specialists in that area and aren't up to the same standard as the two guys they are replacing-they're fine as a stop gap here and there , but this season has seen us needing more than a quick fix solution as cover at the back.
also add to that one other thing- most other positions on the field have world class or top class players vying for them week in week out, rio and vida are for me the worlds top patrnership back there- but that still doesn't mean they also don't need competition and cover back there to keep them on their toes and as a genuine back up for when we need a replacement or need to rest one of them.
someone of the class of martin laursen of villa springs to mind( not him though as he is now out for a further 9 months according to reports this morning), but someone of that type and stature. other areas of the field always get spoken about, but this is an area i reckon we need to address, without breaking the bank and would also provide us with an extra insurance policy come next season.
when rio and vidic are back there they are solid and an immense force to be reckoned with, but as we have seen them being there is not always guaranteed when injuries,suspensions and sheer volume of games come into play- when the patnership is broken up we haven't had enough cover at the right level to make sure that one or both of them being out isnt a major issue.
johnny evans will be a class player in the future and is the real deal, but the guy is young and still learning, also just having one player of any note back there to cover both rio and vida has been insufficient as we've seen this season. the excise or argument that o'shea,we or nev can just be moved there when they are all fit and playing as cover for agame or two doesn't hold water for me -none of them are specialists in that area and aren't up to the same standard as the two guys they are replacing-they're fine as a stop gap here and there , but this season has seen us needing more than a quick fix solution as cover at the back.
also add to that one other thing- most other positions on the field have world class or top class players vying for them week in week out, rio and vida are for me the worlds top patrnership back there- but that still doesn't mean they also don't need competition and cover back there to keep them on their toes and as a genuine back up for when we need a replacement or need to rest one of them.
someone of the class of martin laursen of villa springs to mind( not him though as he is now out for a further 9 months according to reports this morning), but someone of that type and stature. other areas of the field always get spoken about, but this is an area i reckon we need to address, without breaking the bank and would also provide us with an extra insurance policy come next season.
