It turned out to be a Sunday of terror for Manchester United, as their nine-game unbeaten run came to an abrupt halt when they succumbed to a 1-3 thrashing at the hands of Aston Villa.
The West Midlands club, who signed Unai Emery as their new boss, capitalized on the rebound from their new manager and scored twice in the first half through Leon Bailey and Lucas Digne before securing the points through Jacob’s strike. Ramsey in the second half.
Erik ten Hag was hampered due to the Thursday-to-Sunday grind with quite a few players looking fatigued with their main creative force, Christian Eriksen, in particular, looking rather jaded.
dalot will be missed
It didn’t help that the ever-present Bruno Fernandes was suspended for the game and his replacement, Donny van de Beek, was lackluster.
The Dutch midfielder doesn’t seem cut out for United and is best offloaded in January. The manager’s pick calls certainly didn’t pay off, as he would have been better off playing Scott McTominay or Fred.
???? A yellow card means Diogo Dalot will be suspended for Gameweek 16… #FPL #AVLMUN pic.twitter.com/U8NbLuCAoO
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) November 6, 2022
A lack of substitutions in attack and Cristiano Ronaldo’s poor performance also played a part in United succumbing to their fourth Premier League defeat of the season.
The former Ajax manager will not only have to motivate his squad and get them firing again ahead of the last league match before the World Cup, but he will have to do it without right-back Diogo Dalot.
The Portuguese received his fifth yellow card of the season and like Fernandes, the winger will now miss the game against Fulham.
Dalot has yet to miss a game and Ten Hag will have to find a way to shuffle the pack to ensure his side can put on a good display. The 22-year-old has been among the most improved players and will be greatly missed.
Malacia over Lindelof
The right-back position has proven to be another problematic aspect of the new boss’s squad. He doesn’t rate Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who is said to be close to returning to Crystal Palace in January.
Options include playing Victor Lindelof there, but his lack of attacking momentum could seriously affect United’s chances of beating Fulham.
The most conceivable idea is to play left-back Tyrell Malacia there. The Dutch winger has played there a couple of times so far this season and has the energy and discipline to bombard the right flank.
Dalot will be a big miss, but Ten Hag hopes his team can make up for his absence. For now, United have a chance to get revenge by facing the same rival in the Carabao Cup in midweek.
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