It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out things haven’t exactly been going well at Manchester United this season.
The Red Devils are floundering in the Premier League, sitting in sixth place and 19 points behind leaders Liverpool after their 3-1 defeat to Jurgen Klopp’s men on Sunday.
Drawing the mighty Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League only compounded the misery, with the club finally announcing the sacking of Jose Mourinho on Tuesday morning.
But where exactly did it go most horribly wrong on the pitch for the Portuguese tactician?
Their centre-back partnerships, or lack of them, have been somewhat laughable, while the form of Romelu Lukaku is slowly but surely becoming the stuff of ‘meme legend’.
Even the normally water-tight David de Gea has shown the odd chink in his armour this season; his recent mistake against Arsenal arguably cost his side a vital win.
But the Man United midfield has posed another problem entirely, with their big names failing to make a telling impact when they’re so desperately needed. United’s build-up play can often be so slow and lethargic that you find yourself painting the walls just to watch them dry; even Gary Neville accused their midfielders of being ‘unable to pass a ball’.
With that in mind, Squawka have ranked every single Man United midfielder by their ability to pass a ball, taking into consideration passes all over the pitch, as well as those that try to split opposition defences.
Read on to find out who comes out on top.
9. Marouane Fellaini
Passes completed per 90 minutes: 41.43
Pass accuracy: 81.04%
Passes into final third per 90 minutes: 5.33
Pass accuracy, into final third: 64.55%
Chances created per 90 minutes: 0.36
It probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise that Marouane Fellaini is the least adept passer in United’s midfield.
This isn’t so much of an issue most of the time, as the Belgian is often charged with a midfield destroyer role, or being thrown forward as an emergency striker when United need a goal.
However, a pass accuracy of 81.04% in the Premier League this season is still pretty poor and regardless of his role in the team, can cause United’s build-up play to break down.
8. Scott McTominay
Passes completed per 90 minutes: 48.05
Pass accuracy: 84.81%
Passes into final third per 90 minutes: 6.45
Pass accuracy, into final third: 58.33%
Chances created per 90 minutes: 0
Scott McTominay was one of the most ‘hot and cold’ players of the Jose Mourinho era at Manchester United, looking like a real gem one minute to totally out of his depth the next.
The Scotland international hasn’t created a single chance this season, while his accuracy when passing into the final third stands at just 58.33%. Though it must be noted McTominay has often been fielded in a defensive role this season.
7. Andreas Pereira
Passes completed per 90 minutes: 59.42
Pass accuracy: 90.35%
Passes into final third per 90 minutes: 5.77
Passing accuracy, ending in final third: 71.43%
Chances created per 90 minutes: 0
When Andreas Pereira started Manchester United’s first game of the season against Leicester, many fans thought this would finally be the emergence of a long-talked-about talent.
It just hasn’t panned out that way, however, for the Brazilian international and he has once again found games hard to come by. The 22-year-old has a good pass accuracy of 90.35%, but hasn’t created a single chance for his teammates this season; kind of a problem when you’re supposed to be a creative midfielder.
6. Jesse Lingard
Passes completed per 90 minutes: 32.82
Pass accuracy: 84.35%
Passes into final third per 90 minutes: 3.73
Pass accuracy, into final third: 77.78%
Chances created per 90 minutes: 0.99
Jesse Lingard is a very hard one to place. The England international has only averaged 32.82 completed pass per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season, but 10% of those have been into the final third.
The Warrington-born man is very much an attacking midfielder, whom Mourinho would often keep high up the pitch to help Man United unlock an opposition defence. However, without a single Premier League assist to his name this season and an average of just 0.99 chances created per 90 minutes so far, Lingard has definitely struggled to fulfil his role this term.
5. Nemanja Matic
Passes completed per 90 minutes: 57.51
Pass accuracy: 87.53%
Passes into final third per 90 minutes: 6.88
Passing accuracy, ending in final third: 77.3%
Chances created per 90 minutes: 0.51
The ability is definitely there with Nemanja Matic; his time at Chelsea and first couple of years at Manchester United is enough testament to that.
This season has really been a struggle for the giant Serbian, however, and games often seem to bypass him. Matic is able to play from deep just as much as he can break up play from that position, though, and he has completed an average of 57.51 passes per 90 minutes in the Premier League so far this season.
4. Fred
Passes completed per 90 minutes: 58.74
Pass accuracy: 87.9%
Passes into final third per 90 minutes: 9.7
Passing accuracy, ending in final third: 75.27%
Chances created per 90 minutes: 1.26
When Fred gets his head up and passes a ball, the Brazilian definitely delivers. The 25-year-old has averaged 9.7 passes into the final third per 90 minutes this season, while he has a very respectable pass accuracy of 87.9%.
What keeps Fred out of the top three is the fact that he has lost possession 14.73 times per 90 minutes on average this season. That’s the second highest of any player on this list and highlights the 25-year-old’s decision making is far too slow, leading to him getting caught with the ball.
3. Ander Herrera
Passes completed per 90 minutes: 46.9
Pass accuracy: 86.06%
Passes into final third per 90 minutes: 5.28
Pass accuracy, into final third: 79.22%
Chances created per 90 minutes: 0.83
Ander Herrera is many people’s candidate to be United’s deep-lying midfielder. The Spaniard posts respectable numbers across the board with an 86.06% pass accuracy, as well as an average of 5.28 passes into the final third per 90 minutes.
Herrera certainly has the energy and stamina to play deep or in a box-to-box role and may well get another chance following the departure of Mourinho.
2. Paul Pogba
Passes completed per 90 minutes: 53.16
Pass accuracy: 82.84%
Passes into final third per 90 minutes: 10.46
Pass accuracy, into final third: 73.7%
Chances created per 90 minutes: 1.43
Fred may have been the second-highest on the list in terms of losing possession, but Paul Pogba is the highest.
However, that isn’t exclusively the Frenchman’s fault; Pogba can often hold on to the ball too long and overplay as a result of Man United’s dour movement leaving him with no viable passing options.
Pogba has averaged more passes into the final third (10.46) than any other Man United player this season, though, and you can’t help but wonder how he may excel if the Red Devils appoint a much more attacking manager to replace Mourinho.
1. Juan Mata
Passes completed per 90 minutes: 40.78
Pass accuracy: 87.35%
Passes into final third per 90 minutes: 6.47
Pass accuracy, ending in final third: 78.91%
Chances created per 90 minutes: 1.55
Juan Mata has been one of the ultimate, intelligent playmakers in the Premier League over the past eight years. The 30-year-old, along with David Silva at Manchester City, perfected the role of a creative midfielder that starts wide to find space, before drifting inside and splitting a defence with intricate passes.
Mata has created an average of 1.55 chances for his teammates this season and played an average of 6.47 passes into the final third. What makes this so much more impressive is the fact that he is playing these risky passes, but still has an overall accuracy of 87.35%.
It remains to be seen what role Mata will play post-Mourinho, but he is surely going to be key if the next manager seeks to make the Red Devils a more attractive, cultured footballing side.
The post Ranked: Man Utd midfielders by their ability to ‘pass a ball’ appeared first on Squawka News.
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