Manchester United find themselves on the losing side in the Premier League once again.
Erik ten Hag‘s Manchester United ended 2024 in defeat. They fell victim to a rejuvenated Nottingham Forest side under Nuno Espirito Santo, who ran out 2-1 victors.
The Red Devils were simply not good enough on the day. A lot came down to the team’s performance, they lacked synergy and dynamism, something they had in abundance against Aston Villa.
A lot is down to injuries. Erik ten Hag doesn’t have the ideal players he wants in certain positions. However, he does still have many outlets at his disposal, which in our opinion means he needs to stop doing one thing.
Erik ten Hag needs to stop deploying Diogo Dalot at left-back
Diogo Dalot as a left-back just does not work.
The Portuguese defender has been filling in a lot this season in the absence of Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia, but in all honesty, is doing just that – ‘filling in’.
Dalot’s defensive capabilities have always been questioned and his defensive tasks on the left flank are only made harder due to his unfamiliarity on that side.
But it isn’t just limiting him defensively, Dalot is also affected going forward. He’s arguably at his best bombing down the right and putting balls into dangerous areas, which just doesn’t happen as frequently.
The positional experiment needs to stop. Sergio Reguilon was fit and ready on Saturday, yet Ten Hag would prefer to play Dalot in an unorthodox role – further suggesting he has little to no trust in the Spaniard.
Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia can’t come back soon enough
It seriously just further highlights the importance of Luke Shaw in the Manchester United side.
The 28-year-old has been one of the terminal sufferers in the medical tent this season and his absence has been extremely noted.
Ten Hag’s side looks so much more balanced with Shaw on the team, with most of the better performances this season, like Chelsea and Everton – he was in the side.
Tyrell Malacia will also be back in 2024 after his long-term injury. He’s yet to show all his capabilities at Old Trafford.
We just can’t wait to have a proper left-back in the starting XI again.
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