Ruud van Nistelrooy has been working closely with the striker department since his appointment as assistant manager at Manchester United.
The Dutchman made his return to Old Trafford this summer to join Erik ten Hag’s backroom staff 18 years after leaving the club as a player.
Ten Hag stated that Ruud van Nistelrooy’s role at United will help “especially in attacking and pressing plays”.
Van Nistelrooy has been staying behind to help Marcus Rashford in particular after the 26-year-old’s disappointing spell in front of goal last season.
But Rashford has continued to struggle this season, especially during the 3-0 loss to Liverpool on Sunday afternoon where Ten Hag’s decision to keep him on the pitch was booed by supporters at Old Trafford.
United’s £36m summer signing Joshua Zirkzee, made a bright start to the club with a goal on his debut against Fulham, but he missed two big opportunities against Liverpool and a quick glance at this season’s stats proves that United’s players are in desperate need of Ruud Van Nistelrooy‘s help.
Man United forwards need Ruud van Nistelrooy’s help
United missed two big chances during their defeat against Liverpool, and it now means the Red Devils have missed nine big chances in their opening three league games – no Premier League side has missed more.
United ended Sunday’s clash with an expected goal value (xG) of 1.36 – only marginally less than Liverpool’s 1.79 after the visitors scored all of their three shots on target.
Expected goals is a metric used to measure the quality of chances created by a side, calculating how many goals they should have scored from those chances. Stats collected from Opta.
Unfortunately, United’s poor finishing has been a recurring theme this season and it is something Van Nistelrooy will want to put a stop to quickly.
| Manchester United vs Fulham | Expected Goals: 2.43 | Goals Scored: 1 |
| Manchester United vs Brighton | Expected Goals: 1.43 | Goals Scored: 1 |
| Manchester United vs Liverpool | Expected Goals: 1.36 | Goals Scored: 0 |
The Premier League’s xG table after the first three games shows that United have underperformed in front of goal more than any other top-flight side.
From an xG of 5.22 in the opening three games, United have scored just twice – Zirkzee’s goal against Fulham and Amad Diallo’s against Brighton.
It results in an underperformance of -3.22 xG. The next worst in the Premier League is Southampton, who have scored just once from an xG of 3.48. (an underperformance of -2.48)
Remarkably, the xG stats don’t include United’s disallowed goals. Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho both had goals chalked off against Brighton.
Man United players are letting Erik ten Hag down
Ten Hag was deservedly criticised for United’s performance against Liverpool, but the underlying stats show that United have played far better than their results suggest.
United are creating good chances consistently, but poor finishing has let them down.
Bruno Fernandes, Rashford and Zirkzee have all missed big chances which could have seen United salvage points against Brighton and Liverpool.
Van Nistelrooy has been working closely with the forwards at the club since his appointment and he is now needed more than ever to help improve United’s quality in front of goal.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/vYhQVJp