A club struggling near the bottom
Manchester United are bringing in Mauricio Pochettino to take charge of the team. The former manager steps into a very difficult situation at Old Trafford. Manchester United are currently sitting in 18th place in the Premier League.
The team has won just one of their past 11 matches. Michael Carrick has departed, making him the latest manager to leave after a short spell. Three of the four shortest and least successful manager tenures at the club have occurred over the past five years.
Defensive problems giving opponents easy chances
The numbers show exactly why United are struggling in the 2026, 2027 season. Opponents are averaging 0.19 expected goals per shot against United. That is by far the highest average allowed in the league, matching the season average of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.
Opposing teams have taken 74.6 percent of their shots from inside the box against United, which is the highest mark in the league. United defenders have blocked only 22.0 percent of opposing efforts, which is the second fewest in the Premier League.
Struggles in attack and poor set pieces
United do keep the ball well, holding the sixth highest possession rate in the league. Bruno Fernandes and Youri Tielemans help move the ball forward, but the attack lacks sharpness. Only 54.9 percent of United shots come from inside the box, which is the worst mark in the division.
Finishing has also been poor across the squad. Outside of Fernandes and Bryan Mbeumo, United players have scored just five goals from shots worth 9.4 expected goals. Matheus Cunha, Marcus Rashford, and Amad Diallo have managed only one goal combined from 3.3 expected goals. Set pieces are another weak area, with United conceding six set piece goals while scoring only one.
A mixed squad for the new manager
Pochettino inherits a squad collected across several different eras. The squad includes players brought in under Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Erik ten Hag, and Ruben Amorim.
Injuries and limited options have forced players into multiple roles. Diogo Dalot has played the most minutes at both right back and left back this season. Bryan Mbeumo has played the most minutes at both center forward and right wing. Pochettino must now find a way to get results from this mixed group.
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