It’s now a near-certainty that Manchester United will not feature in next season’s Champions League even if the Premier League receives an additional spot under the new format.
Three consecutive winless league outings have left the Red Devils a whopping 11 points adrift of fifth-placed Aston Villa ahead of the last seven matches.
Erik ten Hag’s men have dropped seven precious points in their last three top-flight outings against Brentford, Chelsea and Liverpool despite boasting a narrow lead beyond the 80th minute on each occasion.
But in addition to developing a nasty habit of conceding late goals, Man United have been notoriously prone to allowing their opponents to threaten Andre Onana’s goal at an alarming rate.
In those three encounters alone, they have conceded 87 shots, which forms part of a more ominous pattern that uncovers significant flaws in Ten Hag’s tactics.
Looking at straight facts, only the current top four teams boast a better defensive record than United’s 46 goals conceded this Premier League campaign.
However, it doesn’t tell the whole story.
Ten Hag’s side have faced more shots on goal than any other side across Europe’s top-five leagues in 2024, surpassing even rock-bottom Sheffield and Premier League newcomers Luton Town in this category.
For a club aspiring for the highest rankings, that’s unacceptable, yet the Dutchman seems unable to offer a solution, as this trend continues to haunt the Red Devils almost every matchday.
An unfathomable amount of shots Man United have conceded this calendar year is borderline embarrassing for a side playing with four at the back and a double-pivot in front of the defence.
With that in mind, it’s barely surprising they’ve yet to keep an away clean sheet in the Premier League in 2024, capitulating precisely three times on three of their six league travels.
Unless Ten Hag finds a sustainable solution to this problem down the final stretch, missing out on European football next season could become a genuine possibility.
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