Even though Manchester United may sit 2nd in the table, just one point below leaders Chelsea, nobody would argue that the club haven’t been at their best and they have looked rather shaky at times. Following on from this start, Sir Alex Ferguson claims that the defensive problems are the reason for this unconvincing start and his main aim is to just get through the next couple of games with the squad he has available.
At the current time, Ferguson has just Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans available in the heart of his defence. The likes of Phil Jones and Chris Smalling have missed most of the season with knee and metatarsal problems respectively, while United were dealt a further blow more recently after Nemanja Vidic was forced into surgery on his knee again on Tuesday.
This of course has had a hugely disruptive effect on the team and Ferguson was quick to blame these injuries for the start the club have made. He said, “Everyone knows the situation with our defenders. We are having a hard time with that. Nemanja Vidic being out is a blow to us and we simply cannot take a risk with defenders. We just hope if we can get through the next two league games it will give us a little breather and we can start to get one or two of them back.”
Of course, while we may be bemoaning the start United have experienced, the fact that only three points have been dropped speaks volumes about the spirit of the team. It also bodes very well for the future and when the club can boast a fully fit squad, they are going to pose as a much stronger outfit. For now, as Fergie says, the main aim is to get through the next couple of games with as few problems as possible.