If you like numbers, this will be something you will enjoy. Manchester United have started their season in a much better way than last year and we are now 10 matches into the Premier League season.
The first quarter of the domestic competition has officially passed and we can make a look back on Manchester United results and performances. The Champions League group stages are also on the halfway line, before the midweek matches starting on Tuesday.
Manchester United Stats
In the Premier League, Manchester United are second in the standings with 23 points. That is five points less than the leaders, Manchester City. However, it is also eight points more than Man United had at this point of the last campaign. Jose Mourinho team scored 23 goals already, which only gives a preview of what we could see from the Devils this season.
Last season, Manchester United were sitting in eighth place after 10 matches. Their goal difference was a mere 13-12 and they have already lost on three occasions. A big difference is quite obvious this year. The Devils are more resilient and, simply put, have more quality about them.
Special things have been happening at Old Trafford. Or maybe are not happening at all, since Man United have not conceded a home goal this season in the league nor in the Champions League. The only time someone scored at the Theatre of Dreams was in a 4-1 win over Burton Albion in League Cup. What is more important than that is the fact that Manchester United have lost only one game this season.
The boys won all three Champions League matches and after last week’s 2-0 win over Swansea, they reached the League Cup quarterfinals. They will play against Bristol City in mid-December.
Anthony Martial’s Insane Goal+Assist Ratio
Talking about individuals, Anthony Martial has been exceptional, having in mind he has seldom been a starter. He scored five goals and had four assists in Premier League and Champions League combined this season, playing only 426 minutes.
This means he has been averaging 1.90 goals and assists per 90 minutes this season. This number is so insanely high that Martial would have already had a hand in 24 or 25 goals this season, had he played every minute of the two competitions.
Phil Jones And The Mighty Triangle
Phil Jones was the one player many pundits talked about as an improved player. They are absolutely right. We have seen that, with the back four (or three) functioning very well. However, his numbers are even better. Jones has been among the best European centre-backs in three categories so far.
His passing is very reliable, with 92.3 per cent of his passes being completed. That is very good for top-end teams, but that is not all. Jones has been extraordinary in the air, as he won 76.66 per cent of his aerial duels. That is slightly better than winning 15 aerial duels out of 20. And above all, the most important category of them all are – fouls made.
Jones has been so good with his positioning and reading of the game. He has been making 0.21 fouls per 90 minutes spent on the pitch. To put that in perspective, Phil Jones played in 10 Premier League matches this season, has spent 833 minutes on the pitch and confronted teams like Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool – and yet he made a whole lot of two (yes, 2) fouls this campaign.
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