Oh, how stats tell a story! - Manchester United's performance dissected

Article by Howard Jones

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We all know United haven't had the best start to the new season. Two points from three games is very disappointing. For a club of our stature, it's simply not good enough.

But does a league table which shows the team languishing in 14th place really reflect what's happening on the pitch?

No, it doesn't. And here's why ...

Possession - to control a game, a team must have the ball and, with average possession of 59.5% in the Premier League, Manchester United are clearly controlling their games. In fact, only Arsenal, Manchester City and Spurs have more of the ball than United. Even when United don't have the ball, they've been battling to get it back - 19 interceptions-per-game has only been bettered by Stoke this season.

Passing Accuracy - once you have the ball, it's important to distribute it with precision. Again, United are doing this. With accuracy of 85%, United are moving the ball around the pitch better than most. In fact, across the five major European leagues, we stand in twelfth place, ahead of the likes of Juventus and Bayern Munich. And only one behind Real Madrid.

Dribbles - if you're not passing the ball, you're running with it and penetrating the opposition's half. Again, on this front, United are up-there - 2nd in the Premier League (behind Chelsea) with 12.7 dribbles-per-game and 'top-of-the-tree' away from home.

Shots - so, we have possession of the ball and the ability to pass and dribble with it. Surely, we're just hopeless at shooting, then? Wrong! At home, United are managing 14 shots-per-game and only four Premier League clubs can better this - Chelsea, QPR, Newcastle and Arsenal (incidentally, Chelsea have more shots-per-game than any other team in the top-tier of European football).

Shooting Accuracy - OK, so we have lots of shots but they're not on-target? Wrong again! With 5 shots-on-target per game, only five teams in the Premier League have a better ratio.

Shots Conceded - not even shots at the other-end are troubling us, despite concern amongst fans over the change to a 3-5-2 formation. With just 8 shots-per-game being suffered, United have the 3rd best record in the Premier League and, at home, only five clubs in Europe beat us; a table topped by the mighty Barcelona.

So, if we're making good use of the ball, both defensively and offensively, why are we as low as 14th in the Premier League?

Well, as they say, 'goals win games' and Manchester United (with the exception of QPR and Burnley) have scored fewer than every team in the league. Our strikers may be getting shots away, but they're simply not making them count. It's no wonder, then, that van Gaal called upon the services of Falcao during the transfer window, a man with an impressive conversion-rate in front of goal.

Furthermore, whilst we may have bombarded Swansea throughout our first league match at home, our shooting performance has since deteriorated in our away games. In fact, we've only managed 2.5 shots on-target in each of the games played outside of Old Trafford.

Are we simply not trying hard enough, then?

With good levels of possession, passing accuracy and interceptions, our lads are certainly trying. If anything, statistics would suggest their efforts are causing them frustration. With as many as 14 fouls-per-game committed , only Crystal Palace appear more frustrated than United (or poorly-timed with their tackles).

The way I see it, is that United are trying very-hard, perhaps too-hard. But, for all our possession and shots, we're just being stifled away from home by teams who are sitting deep. With an average of just one offside-per-game, United are clearly struggling to get behind teams.

Again, van Gaal has already identified this problem and addressed it with the acquisition of another player - a certain Angel di Maria.

Van Gaal sees Di Maria as someone to quicken the pace of the team; someone with the speed, intelligence and skill to pierce a back-line in an instant. With the best assist record in La Liga last season, he sees Di Maria as the perfect catalyst to United's season; a player who can put the ball on-a-plate for the likes of Rooney, Falcao and van Persie.

With a goal here and a goal there, these players will soon grow in confidence. And, who knows just how many they will go on to score come May?

So, upon reflection, I'll have to disagree with the former Prime Minister, Disraeli, who penned the phrase 'Lies, damned lies and statistics'.

You see, van Gaal has clearly done his maths and these numbers speak volumes!

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