Manchester United will look to secure passage to the FA Cup quarterfinals as they host Leicester City at Old Trafford tonight.
Coming off a humiliating 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace last weekend, Man United’s string of disappointing results seems to be continuing to compound.
Still, this match should be a straightforward win for Ruben Amorim’s team, particularly given Leicester’s poor form.
While the Premier League strugglers upset Tottenham Hotspur with a 2-1 away win, this result was an outlier in recent times.
It is their only win in the past five Premier League matches compared to four resounding defeats. In those matches, Leicester scored just three goals while failing to find the back of the net in three matches.
Furthermore, Leicester conceded a mammoth 11 goals – over two goals per game on average. (Stats via Transfermarkt)
Given Leicester’s poor form in both defence and attack, the only barrier to victory for United seems to be their own shortfalls, of which there seem to be many.
In United’s defeat to Palace, they took 17 shots yet only one converted into a big chance. In contrast, Palace took just 11 shots, yet four were big chances.
This was a continuation of United’s poor attacking performance in the 1-0 win over Fulham when they took just four shots.
In yet another crushing home defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion, United took 10 shots, with just one counting as a big chance. Yet again, the opposition made more of their opportunities, with four of Brighton’s six shots proving to be big chances in what was a crushing 3-1 defeat.
Not only is United’s shot tally low in recent times, but the team is also struggling to produce dangerous opportunities from the few chances they create. For those who closely observe United’s build-up play, it is clear that Amorim’s team hesitates when entering the final third, often slowing down their momentum and ultimately crumbling under defensive pressure.
What’s more, even when successfully beating defenders, United’s front line appears unwilling to take shots from long distances or tight angles, meaning that they allow multiple potential opportunities to fade away.
While United’s sluggish build-ups may have been sufficient to defeat Europa League opponents such as Rangers and FCSB, it is important to remember that these are weaker teams who do not have exposure to elite-level Premier League football as Leicester does.
Quicker attacking build-ups and more shots are required if United hope to penetrate Leicester’s defence.
Defensively, United are suffering from the same issues they always have.
Set pieces remain a constant disaster for the back line, with Palace opening the scoring last weekend from a free-kick.
Like a broken record player, testimonies on United’s set-piece vulnerability are constantly provided by pundits, Amorim, and his players alike, with very little progress being made to remedy this issue.
Overall, tonight’s match should be a straightforward victory for United, given Leicester’s weaker lineup and poor recent form. What’s worrying is that United’s poor shot-taking and set-piece awareness is what might lead to their downfall if Amorim does not address these constant concerns.
Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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Mathew Cohen
A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.
