Liam Manning: MK Dons boss worried by 'fragile' defence

Liam Manning has been in charge at Stadium MK since the summer of 2021

MK Dons head coach Liam Manning is concerned about his side's fragility following their defeat at Shrewsbury.

Manning guided the Dons to the League One play-offs last season, but they are currently in the relegation places.

They have lost seven of their 11 games so far, and four of the past five.

"The one thing this club has to be built on, and any successful team has to be built on, is being hard to beat and having the right behaviours," Manning told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"We weren't good enough defensively in the first half and before I even get to tactics, I think behaviours wise, we didn't show enough aggression to deal with their directness, didn't show enough desire to go and attack it, didn't show enough discipline to defend the set-pieces.

"We're fragile at the minute, we go out and concede too easy."

He continued: "Two things when you deal with directness, you either send it back with height and distance or you cushion it down so you can play, and we got caught in between and didn't control the second balls.

"We were cushioning headers when we should have been sending it with distance. Poor decisions, poor execution."

Both Shrewsbury goals came in the first half, and although Zak Jules pulled one back after Manning made a couple of half-time changes, the Dons were reduced to 10 men soon after by the sending off of Dawson Devoy.

"When you're having a tough time you want people to step up and grab the opportunity and show they can be trusted," Manning added.

"The changes had a positive impact and despite the sending off, even in the last stages, we were taking the game to them, which is how you should start the game, (with) that front-foot mindset."

The Dons are in action again on Tuesday with a home game against Bristol Rovers, who they would leapfrog in the table with a victory.