Manchester United continued their worrying Premier League form today, as they fell to defeat on the road against Newcastle United.
It is a result that has seen them lose a league position, as the Magpies shockingly leapfrogged them to enter third place. Now, despite blistering mid-season form, the Red Devils’ position within the top four has been put in jeopardy.
Whilst Erik ten Hag has enjoyed an impressive first season at the helm, with one trophy already under his belt, their 7-0 drubbing to Liverpool last month showcased their remaining vulnerabilities.
Since then, they are yet to win in the league, and despite advancing in both the Europa League and FA Cup, it seems that they just cannot recapture the form that once saw them mentioned alongside Arsenal and Manchester City.
Today was far from a smash-and-grab too, as the hosts exacted revenge for their cup-final defeat earlier in the season with a dominant display. They boasted 22 shots, six of which were on target, and accumulated an expected goals tally of 3.57 (via Sofascore). Despite that, the scoreline remained just 2-0.
Whilst many of those on the pitch for the Red Devils can come under scrutiny, it is likely that once again Bruno Fernandes will be a lightning rod for such scathing comments due to his notoriety.
Often seen remonstrating with the referee, the Portugal midfielder could only muster a shocking 6.4 rating as he was bullied in midfield, winning just 1/6 of his defensive duels.
However, perhaps deserving of the most criticism is his defensive compatriot Diogo Dalot, who continued his downturn in form.
How did Diogo Dalot play vs Newcastle United?
Having enjoyed a fine run of form before the World Cup, scoring in the win over Sheriff before earning the Man of the Match award against West Ham, it seems since the restart of domestic footballs the 24-year-old has forgotten what made him such a potent threat for Ten Hag.
His offensive impetus and powerful runs forward have ceased, and instead been replaced by a meek full-back who offers little going forward or defensively.
This culminated in his 6.6 rating today, in which he was terrorised throughout by Allan Saint-Maximin who created five goal-scoring chances in the first half alone. The Frenchman simply ran rings around the defender, who lost 75% of the duels he competed in and was forced to commit two fouls, via Sofascore.
Journalist Samuel Luckhurst even took to Twitter to write: “Saint-Maximin has tormented Dalot and Varane in recent games and it shows whenever he gets the ball.”
Fellow writer Brad Cox added his own summation of the 69-touch dud’s display: “Dalot just hasn’t been the same since the World Cup. The drop off in performance levels has been incredible.”
Indeed, that was perhaps best summed up by his actions for the opening goal. The Portuguese was dragged across the box and out of position before missing a header from the aforementioned winger that fell straight to Joe Willock who found the net from close range.
Today marked one of many poor displays by the £25k-per-week stalwart, who is slowly slipping behind even Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the pecking order. There will be hope that the former Crystal Palace man will make a speedy recovery from his illness, to finally displace a struggling Dalot.