Erik ten Hag has significant Man Utd problem to fix despite Everton win – Footymercato.com

Manchester United have a serious problem for Erik ten Hag to fix despite their 2-0 Premier League win over Everton on Saturday. A wasteful Everton had an expected goals of 1.82 but failed to score once at Old Trafford, where the Red Devils were victorious thanks to first-half penalties from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford.

Although the three points got United back on track in their bid for a Champions League spot, the win was not without its concerns. Everton had 23 attempts on goal.

Ten Hag’s team have now conceded at least 20 shots in five of their last six Premier League matches. They have won five of those, but conceding so many opportunities per match so consistently is a worrying sign – they are, quite clearly, too open.

United have faced 467 shots in the Premier League this season – only Sheffield United have conceded more with 501. United’s expected goals against (xGA) is 50.15, which is 11 more than they have actually conceded.

But while it may seem a triumph to have only conceded 39 times when they would have normally been expected to leak 50, it is not. It does prove Andre Onana is having a stronger season than the neutrals think, though.

However, the three teams United are aiming to catch under Sir Jim Ratcliffe – Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool – all boast significantly better numbers. Champions City’s xGA is just 25.70 (they’ve conceded 27).

Arsenal’s xGA is an extraordinary 22.12 while they have conceded 23 goals. Liverpool’s xGA is the highest, at 33.78, but they have conceded just 25 times. That’s largely due to the quality of Alisson Becker and Caoimhin Kelleher in goal.

Quite simply, United are giving their opponents far too many chances. It is why they have lost 11 of their 28 league matches, and why they have conceded 16 goals more than Arsenal, who they equalled on 43 goals conceded just last season. They got away with it against Everton but will not always do so.

Ten Hag said afterwards: “I’m not sure they created so many chances. Our xG was much higher for us than them. They had attempts but our team is good defending, low-block defending and disciplined.

“The players are very comfortable with it. They had low-quality chances and then they leave spaces in behind that we can exploit. We are happy with the win and the way we did it.” Yet the Dutch coach cannot ignore how regularly vulnerable United look defensively.

Injuries have played a part, of course, and Ten Hag has made that clear. Personnel is part of the problem – in that some of United’s back-up options aren’t up to the same standards as their injured team-mates – but tactics look to be an even bigger portion of the pie.

United need to make sure they do not concede as many chances and shots to Liverpool in the FA Cup next weekend. Ten Hag’s best chance of salvaging the season would be by winning the competition, given a top-four – or top five – spot looks unlikely. Liverpool will be more clinical than their Merseyside rivals Everton were.

Whatever happens, Ten Hag will argue injuries have crippled him. But it is not good enough for a team of United’s ambitions. He needs to show he can get the Red Devils to be more structurally sound at the back or risks being axed by INEOS in the summer. More defeats are bound to come if they keep allowing their opponents to take so many shots on goal.