“I’ll be screaming” – Ferdinand explains why Man Utd full-backs should be embarrassed
Rio Ferdinand highlights one aspect of Manchester United’s game that has severely declined since his playing days.
The Englishman was part of one of the staunchest defensive units in the club’s history, playing alongside Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, Gary Neville, and Wes Brown, among others.
Sadly for the fallen Premier League giants, their current backline is a far cry from Sir Alex Ferguson’s glory days.
Rio Ferdinand rues Man Utd full-backs for failing to prevent crosses
On Saturday, Man Utd failed to preserve their slim lead over Tottenham, who arrived at Old Trafford at the very bottom of the EPL table, even though they had an extra man on the pitch.
Spurs, who certainly deserved a goal based on their overall display, snatched a late equaliser through Dominic Solanke, who won the aerial duel against Lisandro Martinez and directed the ball past Senne Lammens, who stood still in his goal.
Fans and observers certainly weren’t impressed with the Argentine’s defending, but Ferdinand points out another plaguing issue: the full-back’s inability to block crosses.
The legendary defender explained that back in his day, he used to reprimand any full-back who didn’t do enough to stop a cross from reaching the box.
But nowadays, he feels that the Man Utd players lack the energy to close down the opponent and prevent him from sending a ball to the box.
Are Man Utd’s full-backs defensively weak?
(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
On this particular occasion, Bryan Mbeumo and Kobbie Mainoo were marking Sandro Tonali, who provided the assist for Solanke’s equaliser.
Nevertheless, Ferdinand’s point about full-backs still stands, as they have been guilty of allowing too many crosses to reach the box.
(via DataMB)
Based on the metrics above, only Noussair Mazraoui has decent stats when it comes to winning defensive duels (65%).
This is hardly surprising considering how the Moroccan is capable of playing at centre-back. The offset is that the former Ajax man produces very few crosses at the opposite end of the field (10%).
It should also be mentioned that the entire team has been too casual (if not complacent), so the full-backs’ inability to stop crosses isn’t an isolated issue, but an aspect consistent with Man Utd’s passive approach.
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