Louis van Gaal's problems in stats: Where Manchester United are failing
By Adam Bate
Last Updated: 26/12/15 12:58pm
Manchester United's home defeat to Norwich last weekend extended their winless streak to six games in all competitions.
As a result, pressure is building on manager Louis van Gaal with the team's style of play coming under scrutiny.
Here, we examine the stats that highlight the problem...
GOALS
"In my opinion, we always attack," Van Gaal told Sky Sports when asked before the game against Norwich on Saturday about those chants from supporters. "They mean we have to score goals." While that in itself is debatable, what the Manchester United boss will agree on is that they haven't scored enough of them this season.
Comparing Man Utd to the Premier League Top 3 - Goals
| Rank | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Leicester | 37 |
| 2nd | Man City | 32 |
| 4th | Arsenal | 29 |
| -- | -- | -- |
| 8th | Man Utd | 22 |
United have scored 22 goals in the Premier League this season, which ranks them eighth alongside newly-promoted Bournemouth. Most worryingly for fans at Old Trafford, only 10 of those goals have come at home. No Premier League ground has seen fewer goals. The issues are embodied by captain Wayne Rooney who has scored twice in 13 appearances.
POSSESSION
Van Gaal might be comforted by the team's impressive possession statistics but the sterility of their dominance of the ball is only adding to the frustrations of supporters. Manchester United have had 60.5 per cent of possession in the Premier League this season - more than any other side - but that has not translated into shots let alone goals.
Man Utd at home in PL 2015/16
| Total | Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 62.3% | 1st |
| Shots | 60 | 20th |
The contrast is most marked at Old Trafford. Surprisingly, given that the team has won only half of their games there and scored only 10 times, United boast the highest possession numbers in the Premier League on their own turf. Incongruously, that has translated into the fewest shots at home of all 20 teams…
SHOTS
It's not just at home that United are failing to shoot. Their total of 131 shots this season ranks them among the bottom three in the Premier League. Compare that to their rivals at the top end of the table and the contrast is stark - Leicester, Arsenal and Manchester City all make up the top five.
Comparing Man Utd to the Premier League Top 3 - Shots
| Rank | Team | Shots |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd | Man City | 193 |
| 3rd | Arsenal | 188 |
| 5th | Leicester | 177 |
| -- | -- | -- |
| 18th | Man Utd | 131 |
What's more, there is no sign of this problem being addressed. Van Gaal has surely been aware of the need for his team to test the goalkeeper more but the Norwich game on Saturday marked a new low - this was the first match this season in which United did not even have enough shots on target to win the match, getting only two of them in a 2-1 defeat.
CHANCES
Van Gaal remains insistent that his team does create chances, only for those openings to be squandered. However, United's shot conversion rate is among the best three in the Premier League and the Opta statistics for clear-cut chances suggest that it's a lack of opportunities rather than the missing of them that's proving a problem.
Comparing Man Utd to the Premier League Top 3 - Big chances missed
| Rank | Team | Big chances missed |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Arsenal | 32 |
| 2nd | Man City | 26 |
| 3rd | Leicester | 22 |
| -- | -- | -- |
| 14th | Man Utd | 13 |
According to Opta, the current top three teams in the Premier League have also missed more big chances than anyone else. United have missed only 13 clear-cut chances compared to Arsenal's 32. While the statistics show that the Gunners have created 219 chances in total, more than any other team, United are among the bottom three.
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