Back in August when the UEFA Champions League draw occurred, Manchester United fans were thrilled with their Group A placement, with a place in the knockout stages looking extremely achievable. However, fast forward to today, and Erik ten Hag’s side is out of European competition altogether after crashing out in last place last night.
The Red Devils had to win the game versus Bayern Munich yesterday, yet they suffered a 1-0 defeat and showed very little intent to win the game, highlighted by the five attempts at goal, one shot on target, and 0.25 xG.
Fingers should be pointed at the side as a unit rather than individuals, but it is difficult to look past players' who cannot provide any level of consistency – including Diogo Dalot.
Diogo Dalot’s game vs Bayern in numbers
The Portuguese full-back started the evening at right back before moving over to the opposite flank due to Luke Shaw picking up another injury, but he failed to have a positive impact on the game in either role.
Dalot is an interesting player, as he displays glimpses of quality, but that is often overridden by mistakes or underwhelming performances.
That was evident yesterday, with the full-back showing promise going forward via direct, powerful dribbling. He completed 100% of his five dribble attempts, but composure in the final third was missing, registering five failed crosses from five attempts.
Below is an overview of his stats from the game against Bayern.
Pass completion %
73%
Possession lost
19
Dribbled past
2
Ground duels (won)
9 (5)
Clearances
2
The stat above, which is particularly poor and frustrating, is that he gave the ball away 19 times, mainly due to complacency. Not only did this prevent United from sustaining pressure and control, but it also stopped attacking scenarios and allowed Bayern to regain possession or launch a quick transition.
The player who could replace Diogo Dalot
After the game, Manchester Evening News writer Samuel Luckhurst gave Dalot a match rating of five out of ten. However, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who played the second half at right back, received a seven, a rightfully higher score than the Portugal international.
The number 29 was strong in attack and defensively, with the ex-Crystal Palace player creating United’s best chance of the game by underlapping Antony and cutting the ball back to the edge of the box before Bruno Fernandes blasted it over the bar. Wan-Bissaka also made two tackles and interceptions, won all three of his duels, and had 100% pass accuracy.
The 26-year-old provides much more balance and defensive control than Dalot, but the latter does outperform him going forward, as shown below.
Tackles
2.10
2.91
Interceptions
0.98
1.54
Clearences
2.94
4.46
Key passes
1.26
0.69
Crosses into the penalty area
0.70
0.00
Shot-creating actions
2.66
1.20
In truth, the right back spot at Manchester United is up for grabs, with neither Wan-Bissaka or Dalot impressing Ten Hag or the United faithful this season.
A right-back may be on the manager’s wish list in January, but given that the ex-Porto defender has started over double the amount the Englishman has in the Premier League, it is fair to now give Wan-Bissaka a shot at nailing down the position.
