Are Brown and Evans better than Vidic and Rio?

By David McDonnell

Published 20:58 02/11/09

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The enforced double loss of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic has presented Sir Alex Ferguson with an interesting quandry in terms of his defence.

Few sides could cope without their first-choice central defensive pairing, but such is United's extraordinary strength in depth, the loss of Ferdinand and Vidic has not been keenly felt.

Wes Brown and Jonny Evans came in against Blackburn and looked as though they had played alongside each other for years, rather than being thrown together in the absence of the main men.

But therein lies the dilemma for Fergie. Over 90 minutes, admittedly against an depressingly unambitious Blackburn side, Brown and Evans looked a far more effective and assured partnership than Ferdinand and Vidic have done this season.

Such is Fergie's faith in Brown and Evans, the United boss said he has no intention of rushing Ferdinand or Vidic back from their respective injuries for Sunday's potentially seismic clash with Chelsea.

And if Ferdinand and Vidic's understudies do play at Stamford Bridge and keep Chelsea's formidable attacking threat quiet, it begs the question: what is United's best central defensive pairing?

On the evidence of this season, you'd have to say Brown and Evans, given the way Ferdinand and Vidic have lurched from one defensive crisis to another, with embarrassing consequences.

Vidic and Ferdinand's slapstick defending in the 2-0 defeat at Liverpool confirmed the long-held belief that both are vulnerable when up against strikers with real pace, like Fernando Torres.

Ferdinand's sloppiness in trying a lazy lobbed pass in the Manchester derby was punished with ruthless consequences by Craig Bellamy, who outpaced him to score.

Brown and Evans, meanwhile, are rarely guilty of such self-inflicted gaffes. They keep things simple, the basic principle of the art of defending, their first priority always to clear the danger.

Ironically, when United went on their record-breaking run of 12 consecutive clean sheets in the Premier League last season, it was Evans who partnered Vidic for the bulk of those games, while Ferdinand recovered from the back problem that continues to plague him.

United cannot afford to go into the Chelsea game with any players less than 100 per cent fit, which is why Brown and Evans are likely to keep their partnership intact for next Sunday.

Up against the athleticism and power of Didier Drogba, not to mention the pace and guile of Nicolas Anelka, Ferdinand and Vidic would need to be fit and at the top of their game, which they clearly aren't right now.

Much has been made about the solid partnership between Ferdinand and Vidic, the pair drawing favourable comparisons between Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister, United's finest central defensive pairing of modern times.

But of late their pairing has looked more of a liability than an asset, their lines of communication blurred and their reading of the game highly questionable.

Which is why Brown and Evans have seized their chance and may ultimately be hard to shift if they can keep on excelling in the absence of Ferdinand and Vidic.

What do you think? Are Rio and Vidic still Fergie's No.1 defensive partnership of should youth get a chance in the shape of Evans and Big Bad Wesley Brown? Let us know by logging in and commenting below...

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