Look at some of the facts first :
We have scored just 3 goals less than United in 2nd and 8 less than Chelsea at the top, and stand 5th in the league for highest number of goals scored. However we have conceded 9 more than either United or Chelsea and stand 9th in the league in least number of goals conceded.
A look at the players and their performances so far this season (the ratings are for what I expect of them, not in relation to each other) :
Reina : A : where the hell would we be without one of the best keeper's in the world and THE best in the EPL ?
Cavalieri : B : although we have not seen much of him he has proved himself to be a very capable support keeper when required to play.
Insua : C+ : though tempted to give him a B I can't quite justify it due to the number of times he has proven to be fallible in his defensive duties. I actually think he is quite good going forward. His height is an issue for our now relatively small team too.
Aurelio : B+ : I like Fabio. He makes the occasional cock-up, as all players do, but is a gifted footballer. Better at LM if I am honest, even though he lacks pace, due to his ball retention and exceptional crossing and cross field passing to pick out players on the opposite flank / in the box. A key element in retaining possession.
Agger : B : classy player and the only CB we have capable of confidently bringing the ball out of defence. Needs to get on the end of more headers at set pieces a la Terry / Vidic.
Carra : C+ : If we wondered what has happened to Skrtel ....... well it applies even more to Carra. Heart on his sleeve, died in the wool, Mr Consistent, bleeds red Carra ..... has been an enigma. Our defensive stalwart last season turned into a fragile confidence lacking figure, capable of going from the sublime to the ridiculous in the blink of an eye, at the heart of our defence who only now seems to be getting back to the man we know and love. A blip is a game or two, this seems to be more serious. Did his heart and soul carry him through to the end of last season and only now are we seeing a rapid deterioration in his ability to perform to the highest levels ? I truly hope not. Where has this impostor hidden the real Carra !?!
Skrtel : D : what the hell has happened to make him so skittish ? Last season we seemed to have solved our future CB partnership question, now that is all up in the air again.
Johnson : A- : one or two defensive errors aside he is a pacy defender (which in itself is a major deterrent) and is superb in the attack rarely givng the ball away but capable of great trickery and assists (maybe his crossing could be more consistent since it runs the gamut of sublime to the ridiculous). Adds a dimension to our attack that we haven't had since ______ (insert your favourite recent Liverpool RW).
Kyrgiakos : B : Our 4th / 5th choice CB has performed quite well when required to do so and for what we required at the time was a good enough stand-in. Probably won't be around next season.
Degen : B : although we have not seen much of him he seems to be very capable going forward and adequate in defence.
Kelly : B : great young hope for the future. Seems to have a lot to his game and makes a very good back up to RB as well as CB.
Darby : C : a young player and of course that means a strong learning curve. Mistakes from young players are a given and so he shouldn't be crucified for those he's made - however the more senior players need to hold their hands up and say that they didn't always give him the cover / support he needed when considering his inexperience.
Masherano : A : whilst obviously not a defender per se I thought it worthwhile including him here to show that it isn't exactly (definition to follow) a weakness in the defensive CM position that has caused additional exposure / pressure to be put on our defence.
So for the 2nd half of the season where do we go from here and do we need to buy an additional defender in the January transfer window ?
Well to my knowledge we haven't been linked with any defenders, unlike last season, even though our defence is looking remarkably sieve-like at present. This may indicate that Rafa sees our defensive personnel as adequate and that this is more a dip in form / confidence than it is a lack of quality in the personnel.
If I were to select our first team back four then it would be : Johnson, Carra, Agger, Aurelio (though due to injury Insua has played a major part so far this year). The major difference from Arbeloa, Carra, Skrtel, Aurelio (our first team back line from last season), and leaving form and inexperience (Johnson / Insua) aside for the moment, is the additional propensity, with the exception of Carra, to go forward into midfield and attack. Quite contradictory to our perceived lack of attacking intent it seems.
However it may seem obvious to state but the loss of Xabi means Masherano seems to have taken on more of the midfield attacking onus this season due to Lucas' lack of regular attacking guile (whether in the form of passing, dribbling or ball retention further upfield) and it may be that when Aquilani settles into the side that Masherano no longer feels the need (or is instructed) to support further upfield and can find more time to protect the back four again.
Conclusion : I do not see the need to bring in an additional CB or FB, (unless we are in for a Lahm quality type signing at LB which I would certainly not turn my nose up at). In a complete juxtaposition to his perceived potential influence on the team I actually see Aquilani as the key to improved defensive performances by virtue of his ability to retain possession and instigate attacks, thereby relieving Masherano of attempting to compensate for Xabi's loss and let him concentrate on his true strength, shielding our back four, especially when our fullbacks (and Agger) go marauding forward.
We have scored just 3 goals less than United in 2nd and 8 less than Chelsea at the top, and stand 5th in the league for highest number of goals scored. However we have conceded 9 more than either United or Chelsea and stand 9th in the league in least number of goals conceded.
A look at the players and their performances so far this season (the ratings are for what I expect of them, not in relation to each other) :
Reina : A : where the hell would we be without one of the best keeper's in the world and THE best in the EPL ?
Cavalieri : B : although we have not seen much of him he has proved himself to be a very capable support keeper when required to play.
Insua : C+ : though tempted to give him a B I can't quite justify it due to the number of times he has proven to be fallible in his defensive duties. I actually think he is quite good going forward. His height is an issue for our now relatively small team too.
Aurelio : B+ : I like Fabio. He makes the occasional cock-up, as all players do, but is a gifted footballer. Better at LM if I am honest, even though he lacks pace, due to his ball retention and exceptional crossing and cross field passing to pick out players on the opposite flank / in the box. A key element in retaining possession.
Agger : B : classy player and the only CB we have capable of confidently bringing the ball out of defence. Needs to get on the end of more headers at set pieces a la Terry / Vidic.
Carra : C+ : If we wondered what has happened to Skrtel ....... well it applies even more to Carra. Heart on his sleeve, died in the wool, Mr Consistent, bleeds red Carra ..... has been an enigma. Our defensive stalwart last season turned into a fragile confidence lacking figure, capable of going from the sublime to the ridiculous in the blink of an eye, at the heart of our defence who only now seems to be getting back to the man we know and love. A blip is a game or two, this seems to be more serious. Did his heart and soul carry him through to the end of last season and only now are we seeing a rapid deterioration in his ability to perform to the highest levels ? I truly hope not. Where has this impostor hidden the real Carra !?!
Skrtel : D : what the hell has happened to make him so skittish ? Last season we seemed to have solved our future CB partnership question, now that is all up in the air again.
Johnson : A- : one or two defensive errors aside he is a pacy defender (which in itself is a major deterrent) and is superb in the attack rarely givng the ball away but capable of great trickery and assists (maybe his crossing could be more consistent since it runs the gamut of sublime to the ridiculous). Adds a dimension to our attack that we haven't had since ______ (insert your favourite recent Liverpool RW).
Kyrgiakos : B : Our 4th / 5th choice CB has performed quite well when required to do so and for what we required at the time was a good enough stand-in. Probably won't be around next season.
Degen : B : although we have not seen much of him he seems to be very capable going forward and adequate in defence.
Kelly : B : great young hope for the future. Seems to have a lot to his game and makes a very good back up to RB as well as CB.
Darby : C : a young player and of course that means a strong learning curve. Mistakes from young players are a given and so he shouldn't be crucified for those he's made - however the more senior players need to hold their hands up and say that they didn't always give him the cover / support he needed when considering his inexperience.
Masherano : A : whilst obviously not a defender per se I thought it worthwhile including him here to show that it isn't exactly (definition to follow) a weakness in the defensive CM position that has caused additional exposure / pressure to be put on our defence.
So for the 2nd half of the season where do we go from here and do we need to buy an additional defender in the January transfer window ?
Well to my knowledge we haven't been linked with any defenders, unlike last season, even though our defence is looking remarkably sieve-like at present. This may indicate that Rafa sees our defensive personnel as adequate and that this is more a dip in form / confidence than it is a lack of quality in the personnel.
If I were to select our first team back four then it would be : Johnson, Carra, Agger, Aurelio (though due to injury Insua has played a major part so far this year). The major difference from Arbeloa, Carra, Skrtel, Aurelio (our first team back line from last season), and leaving form and inexperience (Johnson / Insua) aside for the moment, is the additional propensity, with the exception of Carra, to go forward into midfield and attack. Quite contradictory to our perceived lack of attacking intent it seems.
However it may seem obvious to state but the loss of Xabi means Masherano seems to have taken on more of the midfield attacking onus this season due to Lucas' lack of regular attacking guile (whether in the form of passing, dribbling or ball retention further upfield) and it may be that when Aquilani settles into the side that Masherano no longer feels the need (or is instructed) to support further upfield and can find more time to protect the back four again.
Conclusion : I do not see the need to bring in an additional CB or FB, (unless we are in for a Lahm quality type signing at LB which I would certainly not turn my nose up at). In a complete juxtaposition to his perceived potential influence on the team I actually see Aquilani as the key to improved defensive performances by virtue of his ability to retain possession and instigate attacks, thereby relieving Masherano of attempting to compensate for Xabi's loss and let him concentrate on his true strength, shielding our back four, especially when our fullbacks (and Agger) go marauding forward.
