"Attack, Attack, Attack Attack Attack". Well yes, we had heard this chant, alongside many other similar ones, this season. Manchester United fans did shout out loud requesting the team to attack and score enough goals. It could be the team's main struggling area at the moment but it does not just stop there.
Here are four main areas Louis van Gaal should really concentrate on for the rest of the season, if he is to win a 21st Barclays Premier League title for Manchester United.
Not creating enough from the back
Luke Shaw's injury certainly affected the team's full-back plans. In a period where the former-Southampton left-back was about to have the season of his career, he got hit by a serious injury problem, keeping him away until the end of the season. Which has lead to Van Gaal trying different players at the fullback positions.
If Manchester United want to deliver the goals, this is certainly one of the most important positions to take a look at. Below are some figures to show why:
| Matteo Darmian | Ashley Young | Marcos Rojo | Daley Blind | Aleksandar Kolarov | Héctor Bellerín | Bacary Sagna | Alberto Moreno | Nathaniel Clyne | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games Played | 13 | 10 | 6 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Chances Created | 7 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 24 | 10 | 13 | 25 | 10 |
The playmaker
It's no doubt that this position still remains a hot seat ever since the departure of Paul Scholes. Manchester United certainly lack the type of goal-scoring midfielders that the club were once known for. Not only that, but the team also lacks the player to deliver the killer pass. Let's compare Juan Mata's statistics to the main other players of similar role in the league:
| Juan Mata | Mesut Özil | Riyad Mahrez | Kevin De Bruyne | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games Played | 15 | 14 | 14 | 11 |
| Assists | 3 | 12 | 6 | 6 |
| Chances Created | 25 | 63 | 31 | 35 |
| Goals Scored | 4 | 2 | 10 | 4 |
Ander Herrera's continuous injury problems and exclusion from the starting XI is certainly one of the main problems in this area, a player who can provide solutions for the Dutch manager in the final third of the pitch.
Lack of a prolific goalscorer
Finishing the chances. Manchester United's big problem this season. Van Gaal has tried different striking options this season, with Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial being the main options. It is no doubt that the departures of Javier Hernandez and Robin van Persie affected the team's goal scoring options and performance.
It remains a very important area for the Dutch manager to enhance in order to prepare a league winning side.
| Anthony Martial | Wayne Rooney | Jamie Vardy | Romelu Lukaku | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games Played | 10 | 12 | 15 | 14 |
| Goals Scored | 3 | 2 | 14 | 10 |
| Total Shots | 14 | 27 | 58 | 46 |
| Shot Accuracy | 70% | 50% | 60% | 68% |
General Comparison
The below table shows the statistics (mainly attacking) of the top four in the Barclays Premier League. This tells enough about the work to be done in the final third of the pitch in order to deliver the goals to win enough matches.
| Manchester United | Manchester City | Leicester City | Arsenal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games Played | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Goals Scored | 20 | 30 | 32 | 27 |
| Chances Created | 121 | 197 | 163 | 208 |
| Total Shots | 167 | 259 | 216 | 260 |
| Shot Accuracy | 48% | 54% | 48% | 50% |
Whether there will be transfer business in January completely depends on the quality of the players available during that period, but recalling James Wilson from his loan spell at Brighton & Hove Albion remains a very probable option.
