Man Utd: 5 Reasons They're Better Than 1999 Champions

2. The Back-Up At The Back

A lot of stick has been aimed at the current defense in the last couple of years and rightly so on some occasions. People doubt the legs of aging Rio Ferdinand and the inexperience of Smalling and Jones, but mostly the blame has been shouldered, sometimes unfairly, by the young David De Gea in goal. He is nowhere near Schmeichel in terms of presence and command of the area yet, but he is a natural shot-stopper, with the same uncanny knack of making that impossible save. Just look to the first leg against Real Madrid for numerous examples. Still, there is nobody who could top Schmeichel in his prime in the current squad. Looking at the center back pairing of Jaap Stam and Ronny Johnsen along with Gary Neville and Dennis Irwin and you have a formidable unit to protect the goal, but if you look beyond that you will find no ready-made replacement for Irwin at left back and the former Blackburn pairing of Berg and May as second choice center backs. If you look at the number of games that the first choice back four played together you might assume that Fergie was reluctant to rest them for this very reason. The current squad however boasts at least three established center back pairings, versatile back-ups in Smalling and Jones and two of the most piercing attacking full backs in world football, Messrs Evra and Rafael. The fact that Johnny Evans was preferred to the club captain Vidic, who had a slight fitness scare, against Real Madrid goes to show that Ferguson has faith in his understudies. The competition for places is also a lot higher.