Erik ten Hag has dismissed worries about Manchester United’s vulnerable defense after they let in 23 shots against Everton on Saturday and insists his team’s style of play is sustainable.
The Red Devils narrowed the gap to fifth-placed Tottenham to three points after a 2-0 win over the Toffees at Old Trafford, with both goals coming from the penalty spot – one converted by Bruno Fernandes, the other by Marcus Rashford – after fouls on Alejandro Garnacho.
However, especially in the first half, United had little control of the match and allowed 23 shots while only having 15 themselves.
Remarkably, they have now faced 134 shots in their last six matches, with club legends Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand both believing that United’s leaky defense and wide-open midfield cannot offer a consistent or reliable foundation to mount a late top-four push..
Ten Hag, though, insists he is not concerned about the shot statistics from Saturday’s win, instead pointing out his team’s superior Expected Goals (xG) figure, and has suggested his team’s setup is a deliberate tactic to concede low-quality chances.
Asked if it is sustainable for opponents to keep racking up over 20 shots in matches, Ten Hag replied: ‘Oh yeah, we do it already, I would say, for a long time and many more games.
‘If you see, their xG is not that high and ours was much higher.
‘But it was their gameplan, obviously, and we have players who feel comfortable to defend low.
‘But you have to be very disciplined and we coped with it very well.
‘It was a team performance, but especially our back four with the keeper, Andre [Onana], in the back, and Casemiro in the front, they have done very well.’
United accumulated 2.56xG compared to 1.48xG for Everton, however the home side’s two penalties accounted for 1.56xG (0.78 apiece) meaning the Toffees actually had a better Expected Goals tally from open play.
When asked whether, eventually, teams will start converting the shots United are giving up, Ten Hag responded: ‘No, that is not true because they are low-quality chances.
‘You see the chances, and, yeah, they had some.
‘And also I think the way we defended set plays was very good. We were really well organised, really focused. Everyone did their job.
‘There were one or two second phases where they had some opportunities, but I think overall we did quite well.’
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