Have Man Utd Conceded Too Many Goals By Their Standards?

Footballing Fans of the World...  what do you think? Something has changed since the days when Man Utd were accustomed to not conceding goals. I recall in the 1990's when I was becoming acquainted with the beautiful game; the presence of players like Gary Pallister, Steve Bruce and Denis Irwin would lure opposition Strikers into thinking they would be in for a quiet day...and with good reason!

Is pace the way to break through United's normally solid back line? Photo: AP Photo.  

Furthermore, in recent times, like 2008/09, United achieved an exceptional 14 games without conceding a goal; a statistic that at the moment stands in United's history as their longest streak without conceding. However, something has changed this season, but what is it?...Is it down to injuries? lack of squad depth? attacking quality in the Premier League or the general pace of the modern game? One thing is for sure, teams in the league do not worry as much about not scoring against United as they used to. As well all know, the quality they possess going forward means they always have goals in them. 26 goals scored this season is a statistic second only to Chelsea (28), which when you consider the margin of some of Chelsea's victories is an impressive one.

Lets look back to different times; in 1994/95 United conceded just 28 goals throughout the season (42 games). Similarly in 1997/98 we saw United's back four breached a total of 26 times in a season (38 games). Here we are in 2010/2011 where to date they have conceded 15 goals in the Premier League (13 games so far). I'm a Villa fan, and our recent fortunes in front of goal have been poor to say the least. However, at Villa Park last weekend I firmly believed we would score at least one goal.

Rio Ferdinand missed the opening 6 games of the season, during which time United conceded 9 goals. Undoubtedly the central pairing of Vidic and Ferdinand in the strongest option, however, what options do United have when injury strikes? Chris Smalling is very inexperienced and in my opinion will take a couple of years to settle in at the club. Sir Alex must see potential to make such a signing, but how long will it be until United fans see it? Johnny Evans stood in for Ferdinand during his period of absence and I am not entirely convinced he is a quality Premier League centre-back. Utility man John O'Shea has been at the club for what seems like an age, but their are few striker in the league who will fear playing against him. Likewise, old timers Wes Brown and Gary Neville lack the pace to keep up with some of the Premier League's quickest players. 

Is the problem down to what is going on around them? The Premier League is getting faster and faster by the day. Modern coaching methods are breeding faster and more agile players. Fast Left-Wingers in particular will not fear United's options at Right Back. Similarly a Striker who likes the play on the shoulder will get goal scoring chances even against United's strongest pairing. My thoughts are that teams in the Premier League are becoming wise to what United have to offer at the back. Ferdinand and Vidic would have experienced great success back in the late 1990's where defending was all about beating a man in the air and using physical strength a lot more. Nowadays I just feel Man Utd need to show some adaptability, to accommodate for the changing nature of the modern game. I am not necessarily suggesting a radical overhaul consisting of selling/buying, but surely with the quality United have conceding over 1.15 goals per match is not good enough by their own standards. 

Whilst we may ponder over the potential frailties that United possess in defense, they certainly have no worries going forward. When push comes to shove, if United continue to score more than they concede, is their a problem at all? As demonstrated in the 2-2 with Aston Villa, their may be cracks in defense, but you can never bet on them conceding more than they score. What may at times be frustrating and nerve-wracking for the Man Utd faithful may simply be a greater level of entertainment for all to see!

DH