Is Manchester United Really Progressing?

What is progress for you? Are statistics alone enough to suggest an improvement, the progress of a team? I don’t believe statistics alone tell the full story. I feel progress is measured by what you see on the pitch in terms of performances married to the statistics to prove that there has indeed been an improvement.

Manchester United 2019–20

Manchester United 2019-20 did very well in big matches. We played some thrilling encounters, playing well and winning them deservedly. 4-0 at home to Chelsea I felt wasn’t a fair reflection of the game but the 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, 2-1 at the Etihad and 2-0 at Old Trafford against Manchester City, 2-1 at Old Trafford against Tottenham Hotspur and 1-1 against Liverpool at Old Trafford were all evidence of good, brave, positive performances. The 1-1 we had at White Hart Lane against Tottenham on the back of a strong response to going 0-1 down was also a good point gained. The exception to this being the matches against Arsenal that we underperformed in. We beat City and Chelsea 3 out of 4 meetings across all competition, losing the most significant ones to deny us a passage to the final of the League and FA Cup respectively. Those defeats were matches where we played poorly and deservedly lost. But overall a very good record in big matches. It was in the smaller matches that we suffered in and it looked like we had turned the corner with some very good performances and wins over smaller teams after the defeat to Burnley and when football restarted after the pandemic’s outbreak.

This Season

Going into 2020-21, I felt if we can keep our track record in big matches going, win our “bread and butter” matches and play as we did when the previous season ended, I would take that as progress. We lost in three consecutive semi-finals. It was only in the Europa League that we didn’t deserve to lose but we did. Progress this season would mean going further than the semi-final and winning a Cup at least. What we have seen instead is difficult to understand. Our performances are still inconsistent with the difference being that we are no longer winning the big matches, grinding out draws in them instead. We are still not clinical and ruthless enough to win the “bread and butter” matches which is why we have been on the wrong end of some shocks. We managed to bottle qualification to the knockout stages of the Champions League despite being in a great position to qualify. In matches that we win, we have had performances where we might be under-pressure or not doing anything much but somehow we turn things around in short spurts and we win the game. Winning ugly, always a sign of a champion team but not if it keeps happening repeatedly. There are still matches to go in this season and this assessment could still change but I find it difficult to see how.

I really hope we do see some positive improvements in the remaining matches and we win a Cup at least. But I notice an illogical stubbornness in playing the way we are doing. There is contentment in playing for draws in big matches. A denial for a leaky defence.  Favouring energy and intensity over quality in midfield and don’t get me started on the signings we made. There seems to be a disconnect between who the manager wanted and who the club signed. So statistically, we could actually show that we are progressing but it could leave me feeling the same way I did when we finished 2^nd in 2017-18. An improvement in league finish but a regression in terms of performance on the pitch.