Shots galore, quality scarce

Manchester United top the Premier League for non-penalty shots, and are joint-second bottom for the average expected goal value. In other words, they are firing more than anyone but the chances they create are among the worst in the division. "A finely tuned attacking machine they are not," the Guardian concludes.

The Mbeumo dependency

United's problems are exacerbated by an over-reliance on a single forward. "They have not been helped by their top player for non-penalty xG: Bryan Mbeumo is one of 10 players who have scored at least one goal fewer than underlying numbers imply he should have. As he underachieved by 1.19 last season, this is not especially odd." The real concern is structural: "The issue is how reliant United are upon the 27-year-old."

A soft schedule masks the cracks

Some of United's attacking numbers are flattered by opposition. "The one team from the quintet to increase [box touches] is Manchester United, but they have only played one club that finished in the top 10 last season and five of their eight goals occurred against Championship runners-up Ipswich."

More broadly, the trend of loading chances onto one player is league-wide. "The top player for expected goals at almost every Premier League club is having a bigger share of the xG pie than they enjoyed last season." For United, that player is unambiguously Mbeumo.