FOOTBALL Latest Sports News

Full-backs are the biggest area of concern for Manchester United

The performances of Diogo Dalot and Alex Telles in Manchester United’s 1-0 defeat against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday was a strong indication of their defensive issues.

It’s become an all too familiar theme. Manchester United had large portions of possession and forced a multitude of saves from Jan Oblak but it was a lack of focus at the back that let them down.

Renan Lodi punished Diogo Dalot’s lackadaisical marking by ghosting in at the back post on his blindside to dispatch his header beyond a hapless David de Gea.

Not only did Dalot leave Lodi unmarked to notch the only goal, but questions must also be asked of Alex Telles, who failed to apply any pressure to the crosser, Antoine Griezmann.

Harry Maguire has come under heavy criticism, somewhat understandably, for his performances this term. Nevertheless, Ralf Rangnick’s indecisiveness on his full-backs is preventing United from building any level of consistency.

United have been eliminated by Spanish opposition in each of their last five European campaigns, while their elimination from the Champions League extends their trophy drought to five years.

Dalot has featured more times than any other full-back under Rangnick (13), while Alex Telles and Luke Shaw have featured in 20 matches apiece across all competitions.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka has played just six times and has been left on the bench in back-to-back games following his poor display in the Manchester derby defeat.

The form of all four full-backs is a concern but Rangnick must decide on his preferred options to create continuity in a leaky defence.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *