Is Man Utd Showing Any Improvement Under Their New Manager?
Manchester United have made a slow beginning this season, ramping up scrutiny on head coach Ruben Amorim, having won only 25.8% of his Premier League games in charge.
United has just two victories from their past 13 league fixtures and produced a further disappointing display in the recent 3-0 loss to neighbours Manchester City.
Despite increasing outside concern around Amorim, exacerbated by the Manchester defeat, senior officials remain fully supportive the 44-year-old boss.
And, club sources insist that on most statistics, United are performing stronger than the previous year even though occupying 14th place.
It follows on the back of their poorest opening to a season since the early 90s, with only four points from their first four games.
Key Statistics Show a Slight Improvement
A number of the team’s performance stats do actually indicate a modest upturn over the past six months, although this has often been offset by problems in attack and defence.
From the start of March, United have netted nine fewer goals than would be expected from the quality of opportunities they create.
Their xG figure, not counting penalties, shows a picture of inefficient finishing, whereas the side has conceded 3.4 more goals than projected—numbers suggestive of unreliable goalkeeping.
Form vs Results: A Worrying Disconnect
The problem lies in the fact that this improvement is not converting to actual results.
Since 1 March, the Reds have recorded a relatively respectable non-penalty expected goal difference, with only teams faring better.
However, his side have accumulated just 13 points in that spell—equal worst total of any ever-present Premier League side, shared with West Ham.
Faint Signs of Progress, But Time is Running Out
So while there may be some early signs that Amorim is beginning to make headway, a clearer upturn is drastically required for the manager is to earn longer at the helm.
At present, United remains in a phase of change, amid numbers and scorelines telling very different stories.
