What the frack is wrong with our defence?

Too much chopping and changing equals no settled back four.

But the biggest reason is the midfield doesn't stop the opposition getting at us enough. Carrick is playing well but can't do everything himself. Scholes was a total passenger today when Newcastle had the ball.

Partly due to a lack of midfield cover, partly due p an unsettled back four. Partly to do with poor individual performances.

It's more based on an inevitability for me instead of the defenders themselves. They've all done great in my eyes, and contributed so much to our goals too. Problem is when they have nobody in front of them dictating play, dominating the ball, all you are going to do is then invite waves and waves of attack. Eventually goals will come in.

I don't think we've conceded so much with Anderson or Cleverley in the middle of the park alongside Carrick. Just eases pressure of the defenders.

Mindless rotation from the manager who should know better.

Rio and Evans are flawed as a partnership. They are both poor aerially.

Rio has the organisational skills of a toenail. He also plays far too deep and this compromise leaves a hugh gap between defence and midfield.

Zero midfield protection during most games.

Silly goalkeeping rotation.

The thing is, I still wouldn't swap our defensive options for anyone's. They haven't turned into bad defenders overnight. They're all very good. Unfortunately, our overall team shape is a complete mess and only the brilliance of a few guys up top is covering this up.

If were played an energetic and regular midfield with one quick and one aerially dominant centre half that push further up the pitch, and the same goalkeeper every week then we will see an improvement. I won't hold my breath.

Pick 4 and stick with them it's very simple. I'll get slated for this but Vidic is too slow

"Rio has the organisational skills of a toenail. He also plays far too deep and this compromise leaves a hugh gap between defence and midfield."

Nonsense. I agree with your other points, but of our CB's Rio is our best link to midfield. Between him and Evans as to who's the best passer among the, but Rio has constantly shown he's a superb defender to start attacks from.

SAF.

He has had too long to fix this defence problem. We do not go from being one of the best defences in the league a few years ago to being as open as a wannabe-WAG's legs in a nightclub on a saturday night.

I wrote this about our defending in another thread.:
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1. Constant rotation of the team - mainly in midfield. This of course negatively effects how we play as a unit. Same is true of rotation of keepers and defenders (obviously you can't help injuries)

2. Playing the oldies. We need energy and movement in midfield. A static midfield offers no protection to the defence and affords the opposition time on the ball.

3. A lack of definitive defensive tactic. We don;t seem to press the ball high up the pitch and get after teams aggressively, yet conversely, don't seem to sit as a compact unit and hit teams on the break with pace. We defend in no-mans land and give the opposition too much time and space. At some point, there needs to be applied pressure on the ball. Whether it's high up the pitch Barca-style, or sitting deeper and saying that 'the opposition can have the ball up to X and no further', there simply has to be pressure on the ball.

Therefore, we need to play energetic players, in a specified system and method for defending, so as to pressure the ball. Lots of our goal against this season have been just really simple goals. We're not making teams work to score against us.