Manchester United’s season suffered a new low in midweek as they crashed out of the EFL Cup following a 3-0 defeat to Newcastle United.
This ensured it was back-to-back 3-0 defeats at Old Trafford and while performances on the pitch have not been great, there is something rotten occurring at the club right now and Erik ten Hag is certainly feeling the heat.
He was not helped by a collection of woeful performances from the majority of his starting XI in midweek and Diogo Dalot was one of the worst players on the field of play.
Diogo Dalot’s statistics vs Newcastle United
The right-back was making his 13th start of the season against the Magpies, cementing his place in the back four due to Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s injury, yet after his performance, Ten Hag will be glad the Englishman is ready to play regularly again.
Dalot struggled to cope with the Newcastle attack and was dribbled past on one occasion, while losing possession a staggering 11 times during his 45 minutes on the pitch.
He completed just 16 accurate passes and delivered zero accurate crosses when he did make a foray into the opposition's half. Ten Hag had clearly seen enough and subbed him off for Wan-Bissaka at half-time.
The Portuguese defender was even described as “embarrassing” by journalist Adam Crafton, and it is time the former Crystal Palace defender makes his first start since the 3-1 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion back in September.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka could replace Diogo Dalot against Fulham
The right-back made his comeback against Newcastle having missed a few matches due to suffering a hamstring injury and the Dutchman must unleash him from the start against the Cottagers today.
During his 45-minute cameo in midweek, he won 100% of his ground duels along with completing 29 passes and having 41 touches, ensuring he had more of an impact than Dalot on the pitch.
Wan-Bissaka even succeeded with 100% of his attempted crosses and even made two key passes during the second half, showcasing his attacking qualities and this performance should boost his confidence ahead of the tie against Fulham.
The £90k-per-week gem has enjoyed the praise from fellow players, with compatriot James Maddison lauding him back in April, saying: “AWB is ridiculously good at 1 v 1 defending. Probably the best in the world bar none. So many wingers run out of ideas when playing directly against him.”
When compared to positional peers over the previous 12 months in the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions, the 25-year-old ace currently ranks in the top 8% for interceptions per 90 (1.53) along with ranking in the top 17% for tackles (2.48) and the top 15% for clearances per 90 (2.89), indicating that he has performed well when called upon.
United need three points this afternoon if they are to put their recent malaise behind them and a rejig of the starting XI is certainly required.
Ten Hag should begin from the defence first and drop Dalot to the bench while restoring Wan-Bissaka to the first team immediately. Based on their aforementioned statistics this week, it could improve the Red Devils at both ends of the pitch thanks to the former Eagles star's quality to win possession back whilst also being able to make things happen moving forward.