Diogo Dalot publicly disputed Erik ten Hag’s insistence that Manchester United’s vulnerability to facing shots isn’t a problem after Saturday’s dismal performance against AFC Bournemouth. United had to equalise twice to rescue a 2-2 draw at the Vitality Stadium, where it was open season on Andre Onana’s goal once again.
The Red Devils faced another 20 shots against Bournemouth, five of them on target, while producing just eight themselves.
Only Luton Town (576) have now conceded more efforts than Ten Hag’s side (574) in the Premier League this term, a damning black mark on his tactical set-up.
After United invited 31 shots in the 1-1 draw at Brentford at the end of March, the Dutchman claimed that it wasn’t a problem as long as they picked up results.
But Saturday’s stalemate made it just one win in the last seven league games, leaving United all but out of the race for Champions League qualification.
And Dalot admitted his frustration with the Old Trafford giants’ defensive deficiencies after full-time, contesting his manager’s public stance.
“It’s been one of our concerns, maybe [we need to] try to be more compact as a team – don’t try to make the gap between defenders and midfield too big,” Dalot told Sky Sports.
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“Sometimes it is, and they counter on the counter-attack. It’s something we have to improve because it’s been nowhere near good enough for the level of this club.
“We’ve been showing belief through the season, coming back from down moments. Too many this season.
“We have to control more and have the game under control, we lose it too many times. That’s the aim for the next couple of games.”
United are now winless in four Premier League games and trail fourth-place Aston Villa by 10 points, with just six fixtures remaining.
Ten Hag will accept that his future beyond the summer could depend on whether he guides the club into next season’s Champions League, especially if England receives five spots.
But the 54-year-old was surprisingly positive about his team’s second-half performance, stressing that spirits are high in the dressing room despite a poor campaign.
He said: “We know we have to win. We want to battle, to compete for the top positions. You see the game, we struggled first half, [Harry] Maguire was struggling but he overcame because we needed him to.
“The second half was much better. The good thing is we fought back twice from a losing position. The team spirit is good.
“By the end, it could’ve been more composed and calm, and we could’ve played more chances out.
“The opponent was struggling because they gave so much energy in the first half and there were so many gaps but we didn’t benefit from it.”
