Antony has a lot of pressure on his shoulders in the campaign ahead after a mixed two seasons since joining Manchester United.
The £85 million pound price tag has put high expectations on Antony, but thus far his eight goal involvements in the Premier League in 54 appearances is bringing a lot of criticism.
So it is important to examine the value Antony brings to the squad, and if all the issues are due to him.
Antony’s data backed signing
Antony joined Manchester United from Ajax having worked with Erik ten Hag and he was supposed to bring over his fantastic qualities that he had displayed in the Eredivisie.
In the season before he joined Manchester Untied he had some of the best data in comparison to players in Europe’s top five divisions.
Antony’ Passes into Penalty Area, Crosses into Penalty Area and Progressive Passes data were all in the top 3 per cent of Europe. Adding to this, his shot creating actions were also in the top 3 per cent.
His dribbling was also elite with top 10 per cent data for Carries into the Final Third and Carries into the Penalty Area.
A collapse in Antony’s output
Since joining Manchester United Antony’s incredible data has dropped and the player often cuts an incredibly frustrated figure out on the pitch.
One of the biggest annoyances for player, manager and fans alike is the turnaround in his finishing abilities.
Antony, in his two seasons before joining Manchester United overperformed his xG showing that he had a great ability to put away chances. In the 2020/21 season he was one of the best finishers around Europe with a +0.19 overperformance on his xG per 90, this put him in the top 6 per cent of wingers.
At Manchester United, the average across his two seasons has seen him become a poor finisher. Last season his shooting was so poor that he underperformed xG by -0.14 per 90, which was in the bottom 2 per cent of Europe. This is a shocking output.
But the reality is that the player is likely to still have quality, and may be performing badly due to different reasons.
Tactics don’t help Antony
Erik ten Hag has had to deploy different tactics to what he would like to due to the personnel and injury situation at Manchester United.
His long desired tactics that were played at Ajax have not been able to be used yet at Manchester United, due to the players at his disposal and also injury issues.
Antony himself was deployed as a left-back on occasion this past season as needs necessitated it. Many players in the team have had to play in makeshift positions due to strains on the squad.
Antony’s abilities have therefore been hampered by undesirable tactics and playing a style that is not conducive to bringing out the best in him.
This is not to excuse some areas of his game that he should be performing better at. But football is as much psychological as well as physical and the impact of poor form mixed with incorrect tactics means that Antony has been stifled from playing his best.
Unlike other Manchester United players, Antony’s poor form cannot even be blamed on injury. His record has been fine since joining the club. Nor can it be from poor workrate.
In fact, he has been an excellent presser of the ball in games and his data is amongst some of the best in Europe. His defensive work statistics are in the top 1 per cent in Europe for Blocks as well as Tackles and Interceptions.
There are some distinct qualities in his game and the finishing can return if confidence can be rebuilt.
Staying positive over Antony
Manchester United look to be acquiring the right personnel to be able to allow Antony flourish.
His poor finishing ability in the 2023/24 campaign is also due to the fact that he has been supplied with so few chances. His 0.20 xG per 90 shows how isolated he has been this season. This has been a similar problem for Rasmus Hojlund, although the Danish striker has been able to maintain his finishing abilities with a positive difference between his goals and xG.
Next season new players, plus squad players returning to fitness, will allow Erik ten Hag to play the tactics he desires which in turn will allow Antony to play his best style. Individuals will help create more high quality chances further up the pitch but also the team’s style will mean that Antony is given better opportunities.
If he cannot step up this season then it will be fair to criticise him, but so far his time at Manchester United has not been easy due to a number of footballing reasons.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/c5ZCRSN