Defensive absentees a cause for concern

After spending the best part of £50m on defenders since the turn of the year you would have hoped we wouldn't now be sat here virtually planning a back four from scratch, but due to injuries and African Nations Cup commitments we find ourselves on the verge of not being able to cobble together a defence at all.

Like it or lump it, these things do happen. You only have to look over the road for proof that we're not especially hard done by. The red rogues from Salford have been without six of their first eight defenders, and we seem to be trying to match them, with Joleon Lescott, Kolo Toure, Nedum Onuoha & Wayne Bridge all to be missing.

Even some of those who aren't ruled out are not fully fit. Micah Richards has been in the wars of late, Vincent Kompany's still far from sharp, and former Barca man Sylvinho has looked all of his thirty-five years during his recent starts. Javi Garrido is still AWOL, and it will be interesting to see what back four the new boss goes with against Stoke.

I imagine that as senior defenders, Micah, Pablo and Kolo will all start, but with the latter leaving shortly after we face the prospect of none of our four first choice centre-halves being fully fit for January, a month that will probably decide both our league, Carling Cup, and possibly FA Cup credentials. It may well force us back in to the market.

It's looking increasingly like we'll have to shell out on another centre-half, and whilst that might prove fuel for the fire of those who think we shouldn't have sold Richard Dunne, who realistically wouldn't have sat around content as fourth or fifth choice, and shouldn't be ruled the new Bobby Moore after half-a-dozen good games at his new club, money will have to be spent.

You get the impression that there will be two arrivals or more in the window in order to shore up a fragile back-line, but maybe it could prove a chance for Micah Richards to step up and show some steel. We can only hope that the defensive coaching of Roberto and his team is better than that of the last regime, because we need to start playing like a side who've seriously spent in that department, and not a set of muppets.