Despite an improvement in the lead-up to the international break, nobody at Manchester United will be under any illusions that is a good season.
In many ways, a Europa League win will only paper over the cracks and help Man Utd fix them earlier than thought with that Champions League qualification.
However, this time, the focus is no longer on the manager, as the Man Utd fans have had enough chopping and change.
The focus is firmly on the Man Utd squad and rightly so, as only three players are giving Ruben Amorim what he wants and to make matters worse, none of those three is available to him right now.
Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Ruben Amorim suffering at Man Utd
From his handling of players to his insistence on sticking to his system, Amorim has had to bat away a lot of questions at Old Trafford.
However, what no manager can do is step onto the pitch and play for the players, either fixing their passing or their finishing.
In the latter area, United are suffering to an almost unbelievable degree, and it sums up Amorim’s suffering at the club so far.
As per data from Understat, only three players at the club this season are outperforming their xG (expected goals), which means they have been clinical. (Premier League only)
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Amad, Marcus Rashford, and Lisandro Martinez are those players, while Manuel Ugarte’s inclusion in that list is dicey since he’s scored just once.
Every other player has squandered more than he’s scored, including Bruno Fernandes, whose figures look a lot better after his recent scoring run but still nowhere near elite standards. (eight goals from 8.97 xG)
Man Utd player Goals scored xG
Amad 6 4.13
Marcus Rashford 4 1.94
Lisandro Martinez 2 1.69
Manuel Ugarte 1 0.37
Four players exceeding their xG in the Premier League this season
Man Utd’s untenable season
These are remarkable statistics in a season straight from hell because taking the chances that fall a player’s way is the single most important thing in world football.
Amorim has already stressed that his team needs to be clinical but he’s being given that by just three players, excluding Ugarte’s solitary goal which can skew the statistics.
Even among these three, Martinez’s two goals are again with an asterisk while Rashford did most of it in the early stages of Amorim’s tenure.
Looking at it holistically, Amad is really the only player who’s played like a Man Utd player and that’s simply untenable at such a club.
That wastefulness cost one manager his job, but it won’t cost another one. The wasteful players will be up next.