How bad is Manchester United's attack in the Premier League?

On the Premier League homepage, expert Adrian Clarke analyzes the problems in Manchester United's attack and the reasons why Rasmus Hojlund has only scored one goal in the league.

Wasting opportunities

Man Utd only created 36 clear chances (big chance) in the first 20 rounds of the Premier League, fewer than 13 other clubs in the league. This means that the "Red Devils" only scored 22 goals in 20 matches and are the third lowest-scoring team in the Premier League. Man Utd 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 only scored more goals than the two bottom teams, Burnley (21) and Sheffield (15).

According to Clarke, Man Utd failed to stretch their opponents' defenses due to their slowness, poor decision-making, and numerous tactical problems.

Manager Ten Hag during Manchester United's 2-0 victory over Wigan at the DW Stadium in the third round of the FA Cup on January 8, 2024. Photo: Reuters

Only three Manchester United players created more than one clear-cut chance for their teammates: Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford (9 chances each), and Antony (5 chances). Meanwhile, defending champions Manchester City had 12 players who created more than one clear-cut chance for their teammates.

Even worse, Man Utd were very poor at converting and squandered most clear chances, scoring only nine goals and missing 27. Following Man Utd in this statistic are clubs struggling in the relegation battle, including Nottingham Forest (missed 21 clear chances), Sheffield (20), Burnley (18) and Luton Town (17). Newcastle - a club one place and two points behind Man Utd - successfully converted 34 clear chances, compared to nine for the "Red Devils".

Hojlund's problem

Despite showing great potential, Hojlund has only scored one Premier League goal. The 20-year-old striker possesses explosive speed, well-suited to Man Utd's counter-attacking strengths, but he has yet to find his rhythm with the players around him.

In the Premier League, Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke is the striker with the most shots, with 66 attempts and 12 goals. Darwin Nunez and Erling Haaland both have 58 shots, scoring 5 and 14 goals respectively.

Striker Rasmus Hojlund expresses disappointment after missing a chance in Manchester United's 1-0 Premier League win against 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 played in the Premier League. The Danish striker had an expected goals (xG) metric of 3.10 and scored one goal.

Above Hojlund is Cameron Archer of Sheffield with 25 shots on target, an xG of 2.94, and three goals. Raul Jimenez of Wolves had 30 shots on target, an xG of 3.88, and five goals.

This statistic shows that Hojlund wasn't receiving enough passes from his teammates. When forwards aren't given many opportunities and score few goals, they will increasingly face pressure and lack confidence in their finishing.

Hojlund is the regular-starting striker with the lowest conversion rate of chances into goals in the Premier League at 6.25%. Following the Manchester United striker are Dominic Calvert-Lewin of Everton (10%), Darwin Nunez of Liverpool (10.42%), Carlton Morris of Luton Town (12%), and Julian Alvarez of Manchester City (15.79%).

In the Premier League, Hojlund missed nine clear-cut chances but only missed one of those opportunities. That was a header that went wide of the post from a Bruno Fernandes free-kick against Luton Town.

Hojlund's backward header, after an assist from Fernandes, went wide in the 1-0 win against Luton in the Premier League on November 11, 2023. (Screenshot)

Furthermore, four of Hojlund's clear chances were brilliantly saved by the opposition, including one blocked by a defender and three others intercepted – meaning Hojlund didn't have time to finish. Therefore, in a way, the Danish striker was unlucky at crucial moments.

Hojlund's form in the Champions League, where he scored five goals in six games, is a reason for optimism at Man Utd. In the European competition, Hojlund's conversion rate of chances into goals is extremely impressive at 55.60%. The Danish striker needs to show similar form starting with the match against Tottenham in the 21st round of the Premier League at Old Trafford today.

Hong Duy

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