On the Premier League homepage, expert Adrian Clarke analyzes the problem of Man Utd's attack and the reason why Rasmus Hojlund has only scored one goal in the tournament.
Wasted opportunity
Man Utd have only created 36 clear chances (big chances) in the first 20 rounds of the Premier League, less than 13 other clubs in the league. This is also because the "Red Devils" have only scored 22 goals in 20 matches and are the third-lowest scoring team in the Premier League. Man Utd have even scored fewer goals than Luton Town and Everton - the two clubs ranked 18th and 17th respectively - with 24 goals each. The team under coach Erik ten Hag has only scored more goals than the two bottom teams Burnley (21) and Sheffield (15).
According to Clarke, Man Utd failed to stretch the opponent's squad due to slowness, poor decision-making and many tactical problems.
Coach Ten Hag during the match where Man Utd defeated hosts Wigan 2-0 at DW Stadium in the third round of the FA Cup on January 8, 2024. Photo: Reuters
Only three Man Utd players created more than one clear chance for their teammates, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford with nine each, and Antony with five. Meanwhile, defending champions Man City had 12 players create more than one clear chance for their teammates.
Worse still, Man Utd have been poor at taking advantage of and squandering the majority of their clear-cut chances, scoring just nine goals and missing 27. Behind Man Utd on this metric are clubs struggling in the relegation zone, including Nottingham Forest (missing 21 clear-cut chances), Sheffield (20), Burnley (18) and Luton Town (17). Newcastle - a club one place and two points below Man Utd - successfully took advantage of 34 clear-cut chances, compared to the Red Devils' nine.
Hojlund's problem
Despite showing great potential, Hojlund has only scored one goal in the Premier League. The 20-year-old striker has explosive speed, suitable for Man Utd's counter-attacking strengths, but he has not yet coordinated well with the satellites around him.
In the Premier League, Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke is the striker with the most shots with 66 and 12 goals. Darwin Nunez and Erling Haaland both have 58 shots, scoring 5 and 14 goals respectively.
Striker Rasmus Hojlund looks on after missing a goal in the 1-0 Premier League win over Luton at Old Trafford on November 11, 2023. Photo: AFP
Meanwhile, Hojlund only had 19 shots on target - the lowest among players with over 1,000 minutes of Premier League action. The Danish striker had an expected goals (xG) of 3.10 and scored one goal.
Above Hojlund is Sheffield's Cameron Archer, who has 25 shots on target, an xG of 2.94 and three goals. Wolves' Raul Jimenez has 30 shots on target, an xG of 3.88 and five goals.
This stat shows that Hojlund is not getting enough of the ball from his teammates. When strikers are not given many chances and score few goals, they will be under more and more pressure and lack confidence in finishing.
Hojlund is the regular starter with the lowest chance conversion rate in the Premier League at 6.25%. Behind the Man Utd striker are Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin (10%), Liverpool's Darwin Nunez (10.42%), Luton Town's Carlton Morris (12%) and Man City's Julian Alvarez (15.79%).
In the Premier League, Hojlund has missed nine clear-cut chances but has only missed the target once from such situations, a header wide of Bruno Fernandes' free-kick against Luton Town.
Hojlund's header goes wide after Fernandes' assist in the 1-0 Premier League win over Luton on November 11, 2023. Screenshot
Four of Hojlund's clear-cut chances were brilliantly saved by the opposition, one of which was blocked by an opposing defender and the other three were blocked - meaning Hojlund was unable to finish. So in a way, the Danish striker was unlucky at crucial moments.
Hojlund's form in the Champions League, where he has scored five goals in six games, is a reason for Man Utd to be optimistic. In European competition, Hojlund's chance conversion rate is extremely impressive at 55.60%. The Danish striker needs to show such form from the match against Tottenham in the 21st round of the Premier League at Old Trafford today.
Hong Duy
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