Amorim must drop 3/10 Man Utd star who is “one of many bad ETH signings”

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Amorim must drop 3/10 Man Utd star who is “one of many bad ETH signings”

Manchester United’s poor run of form continued before Christmas with a disappointing 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth.

Set-pieces proved to be a key issue for Ruben Amroim’s side, who conceded from a free kick and also gave away a penalty. The Cherries secured all three points at Old Trafford for the second consecutive season.

Most set-piece goals conceded – PL

#1 Wolves

14

#2 Man United

9

#3 Southampton

8

#4 West Ham

7

#5 Leicester

5

Stats via WhoScored.

Surprisingly, the statistics weighed fairly heavily in the Red Devils’ favour. According to Sofascore, United had more possession, 60%, and created a higher expected goals tally, 2.28 xG to the visitors’ 1.63xG. With that in mind, to lose 3-0 was incredibly frustrating.

There were certainly some disappointing performers across the board from Amroim’s side.

Man United’s worst performers vs. Bournemouth

As the final score might suggest, there were a few United figures who did not perform to a high enough standard to come away with the three points. One of those was Noussair Mazraoui, who has been exceptional this season.

After a fantastic start to life in that famous Red shirt of United, Morocco international Mazraoui did not quite hit the same levels against the Cherries. He was clumsy in giving away a penalty to double the visitors’ 1-0 lead and also won just four duels from the eight he attempted.

Another United star who struggled to influence the game was Diogo Dalot. The Portugal international has looked far from his best this season, and that continued against the South Coast outfit.

He received a rating of just 4/10 from the Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst. He explained that the Red Devils’ number 20 was ‘no more effective in attack’ after switching back to right wing-back following a spell on the opposite flank.

It was certainly a disappointing day at the office for Dalot and his teammates. Fellow wing-back Tyrel Malacia was another player who struggled last time out and could face being dropped from the starting 11 as a result.

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Malacia’s stats vs. Bournemouth

It has not been an easy 18 months for defender Malacia, who has faced a long road to recovery after an awful injury picked up at the end of the 2022/23 season. However, he has recently regained full fitness and has now played four times in the first team this campaign.

His most recent game came against Andoni Iraola’s side in the last game before Christmas, although he struggled to perform. The Dutchman was substituted at half-time, putting in a poor defensive display where he won just one duel and lost the ball seven times.

Malacia vs. Bournemouth

Stat

Number

Minutes played

45

Touches

35

Pass accuracy

84%

Ground duels won

1/5

Tackles won

0/1

Errors leading to shot

1

Number of times possession lost

7

Stats from Sofascore

It was a frustrating day at the office for the 25-year-old, who received a rating of just 3/10 from the aforementioned Luckhurst. The journalist explained he was ‘not at it from the start’ and pointed out it was Malacia who ‘clumsily conceded’ the freekick that led to Bournemouth’s opener.

Indeed, United fans were seemingly disappointed with the Dutchman’s performance, too. Journalist and Red Devils supporter Alex Turk was one critic. After the game, he called him “one of many bad Erik ten Hag signings”. Of course, this is referring to the £600m spent by the former United boss, with many of them not really working out, Malacia included in Turk’s opinion.

Boxing Day sees United travel to Molineux to face Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Old Gold won their first game under new manager Vitor Pereira 3-0 against Leicester City, and with the confidence a side can get under a new manager, it could be a tough test.

This may well be a game Amroim chooses to drop Malacia for, after his poor performance last weekend, and there are a few options for a replacement. Bringing Leny Yoro into the side could be a route for United to take, with Mazraoui moving to wing-back. It is actually the very substitution the United boss made at halftime last weekend.

Alternatively, he could opt for more attacking firepower and bring Alejandro Garnacho in for the Dutchman. He has played as a wing-back already this term, away to Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League, and this is certainly an option.

Garnacho is a tireless player, and given his role would essentially be that of a winger, seems like he could be a good fit.

It certainly seems justified if Amorim does not start Malacia at Molineux in this Boxing Day clash. It was a poor performance against a well-drilled side, and with some other options available to the Portuguese boss, he may well decide to freshen his side up in a must-win game.

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