So many riches earned, so little return delivered. Manchester United’s three premier strikers – Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao – cost the club some £60 million in transfer and loan fees combined. Old Trafford’s bean counters will add £43 million to that bill in the now very unlikely event that the Colombian signs permanently next summer. Factor in £830,000 per week – or more than £40 million per season – the club spends on wages between to the lavishly paid trio and United continues to make a stupendous outlay for a hugely disappointing campaign.
The raw numbers tell at least part of story behind United’s failed attack this season. Van Persie has 10 goals and two assists in 26 appearances across all competitions; Rooney nine and four in 25; and Falcao four and four in 19. If United’s ever-changing tactical shape is of little help to the trio, then nor does any lay claim to personal excellence either. The Englishman’s shot accuracy, for example, is just 50 per cent this season, with Van Persie only three percentage points better and Falcao accurate from 63 per cent of shots taken. None compares favourably to Premier League top goalscorer Diego Costa, who has 17 league goals at a 71 per cent shooting accuracy.
Dig a little deeper and the trio has contributed too little to United’s attack beyond the combined 23 goals and 10 assists this season. Rooney has created a touch over 30 chances over the campaign, with the Englishman most frequently deployed at ’10’ or in an attacking central midfield role. It reflects even more poorly on Rooney that the 29-year-old fails to make the top 20 best passers by accuracy at United let alone in the country.
Van Persie and Falcao fare no better on the creative front. The Dutchman has fostered 23 opportunities this season and Falcao just 13. Neither is heavily involved in United’s build-up either – Van Persie averages just over 20 passes per game; Falcao less than that.
Beyond the numbers neither Van Persie and Falcao, nor Saturday’s pairing of the Dutchman and Rooney, have developed any real understanding. Rooney passed to Van Persie just six times during United’s 2-1 defeat in Wales; the former Arsenal forward returned the compliment on three occasions. Nine passes from a total of 581 United made on the day. It was just seven in total between Falcao and Van Persie when United beat Burnley 3-1 at Old Trafford last week. None of it speaks well of three supposedly world-class forwards that form the backbone of United’s broken strikeforce.
Of the trio only Rooney is guaranteed a place at the club next season – and that has far less to do with the Englishman’s performances over the past eight months than his perpetual status at the club. As a striker the Englishman’s output has declined in recent seasons. The former Evertonian scored 19 and made 17 assists under David Moyes; it was 16 and 13 two years ago; and 35 and five when Rooney was deployed up-front for the campaign in 2011/12.
In midfield Rooney has routinely disappointed, in part with average distribution, but mostly with an apparent inability to adapt to the ebb and flow of United’s game. It is not often, if ever, that United’s third highest record goalscorer controls a match from the centre of the park, with the player demonstrating an unnerving ability to resort to the ‘Hollywood Ball’ when in possession. It is an observation that is all-the-more frustrating for Ander Herrera’s frequent exclusion this season.
Van Persie, meanwhile, is in the midst of a 18-month-long slump. There was a short period over Christmas, a mini burst if you will, when the Dutchman scored five in four games. There have been just two goals in the past nine matches; one of those a penalty.
Indeed, the Dutchman’s performance in south Wales ranks among his least effective for the club. Of Van Persie’s seven attempts at goal only one hit the target, while the striker touched the ball on just 23 further occasions. The evidence suggests a permanent decline even if Van Persie recovers quickly from an ankle injury suffered at the Liberty Stadium.
Then there is Falcao. The Colombian remains a striker of rare pedigree, but one who is fundamentally struggling to recover from a second knee injury of the most devastating kind. Few begrudge the Colombian a little time in a season that has itself been disrupted by less serious injury, but eight months into a year-long loan at the club there is scant evidence that Falcao is the player of lore.
It is not even as if the 29-year-old’s goals this season – all four of them – have come against top class opposition either: Falcao scored against Everton, Aston Villa, Stoke City and Leicester City. His omission from Saturday’s line-up may well be the precursor to more frequent exclusion as the season winds down. The performances hardly merite special treatment. And whatever agent Jorge Mendes’ proclamation to the contrary, few of Europe’s top clubs will be prepared to pay the €55 million fee Monaco is seeking for the forward next summer.
Little wonder United ranks just fourth in the Premier League for goals scored this season despite the lavish expenditure on a clutch of strikers. It is, after all, some 12 goals behind rivals Chelsea and Manchester City. These are striking numbers.
Indeed, United’s failure at Swansea City on Saturday can be attributed, in part at least, to the profligacy of the team’s forward line. Van Gaal was moved to declare United unlucky in defeat, with the Reds securing a healthy proportion of possession, while the team created 18 chances. Perhaps the key statistic is this however: the visitors managed just three shots on target. It is the story of the season rather than a one-off observation. United ranks just eighth in the Premier League for shots-per-game and seventh for shots-on-target.
Yet, with a nod to those who have an eye for defending United’s errant forwards, Van Gaal’s team ranks just eighth in key-passes-per game, ninth in dribbles-per-game and 16th in fouls-against-per-game. If the forward line is under-performing then there is little attacking foundation elsewhere in the team. Angel di Maria suffered yet another anonymous game at the Liberty Stadium, while fellow creative talents Juan Mata and Adnan Januzaj started the game on the bench.
Yet, while United enjoyed a positive spell for 30 minutes after the break, and possession translated into chances created, none were taken. And when it came to the crux, with the Reds chasing an equaliser deep into the game, Van Gaal’s men resorted to agricultural tactics rather than trusting that creative talent might fashion a chance. The Reds launched 50 long passes forward against Swansea – 12 of them coming after Bafétimbi Gomis scored Swansea’s second. It was truly desperate stuff.
Crucially, in the short-term there is little sign that either Falcao or Van Persie will hit a run of form. If may well cost United a place in the Champions League next season. Neither is likely to benefit if United’s Dutch manager continues to rely on the long ball.
Over the longer piece few will brook argument with the observation that Van Gaal should enter the market for one, if not more, new strikers next summer.
The under-performance of United’s unholy trinity of strikers is the most stark and frustrating aspect of this disappointing season. Apart from a very few fleeting moments, they have neither individually nor collectively been on the top of their game. Add to that the drop in effectiveness of Di Maria and United has the most expensive bunch of misfiring guns for hire on the planet. All that possession and so few shots on target.
The question is, can Van Gaal fix it, or is he contributing to the problem rather than being the man with the solution?
These days Falcao looks like a £15-20 mil, mid-table team striker. They’d love him at Everton. Why we are still playing with two up front when there are doing very little is a mystery to me. Mata has the same number of goals this season as Falcao.
A common thread linking successful teams managed by Ferguson, Wenger and Mourinho is the belief in the game plan and the willingness to keep playing to it, even if the team goes behind.
United’s refusal to panic and to stick to the job in hand often brought success with late goals. ‘Fergie time’ and its importance was itself a product of sticking to the game plan until as late as possible. United’s willingness to keep playing football ‘their way’ and not to panic, helped crank up pressure on opposing defences.
Contrast that approach with the one United displayed at Swansea. When Swansea scored their second, against the run of play, in the 73rd minute, there was still plenty of time left. Yet immediately Van Gaal went into ‘panic mode’ (politely known as plan ‘B’) and United resorted to wacking long balls up to Fellaini.
Twenty minutes of ‘Fellaini time’ is too much for my stomach.
An objective analysis as usual Ed.
If we’re brutally honest, it’s not just the strikers but the whole spine of the team that is below Champions League standard – CB, CM (yawn) and CF – not to mention the entire right side.I’m thinking we’re 3-4 players short of being truly competitive again – and that’s assuming LvG plays everyone in their best positions. There’s still a lot of surgery required and given Woodward’s reputation among agents/sellers for being a pushover when it comes to transfer dealing, it could get very expensive again.
nail on the head Ed as usual. Excellent. Surely Rooney lone striker behind two wingers and 3 in midfield? Surely? #SoFrustrated
Yeah. I’ve always felt, conversely, Rooney is a number 9. He has a real talent for ghosting into space in and around the six yard box.
We have no one to look upto who can rescue us in bad games. In fact our depression and frustration from this campaign is because we are missing a lethal attacker who can contribute vital goals in even the dead situations. We need a talisman in our lineup. Someone who can perform on the good and bad days. A consistent figure, a leader in attack, a player our team looks upto to rescue us in a losing situation. I just hope the present situation of our attackers changes becos if it doesn’t then we are looking at a possible outta the top 4 finish again. I’m not being hopeless but I am just trying to analyse the situation we are in. We cannot put a blind eye to the fact that we are struggling in front of goal and something needs to be changed asap!
Sadly the Falcao experiment seems to have failed. He’s been given the opportunities as far as appearances are concerned but he has not been given the sort of service he needs. He’s a six yard box predator essentially and yet he’s invariably required to be a target man battling out against far taller and more muscular defenders. He just doesn’t fit into LvG’s way it seems.
Van Persie looks a totally spent force. He doesn’t look sharp or particularly fit even. In theory this should be his last season with United.
No blame can be attached to Rooney for lack of goals. He has manfully tried to keep things together all over the pitch including having to play deep midfield because of Carricks absence and the fact that LvG doesn’t trust his midfield alternatives.
The one ray of hope is James Wilson who really should be give a run of games. With no other options until after the transfer window, I suggest he plays alongside Falcao and see if his pace and vision can bring a positive reaction from the Columbian. Rooney can play off these two in an advanced role.
Completely agree with this analysis – the strikers have been poor, but have also suffered as a direct result of a lack of creativity from midfield, and some bizarre tactics that don’t suit those players.
Remember when Van Persie signed after 5-6 games Fergie said we hadn’t learnt to play with him yet as we weren’t getting the ball quickly into his feet in central areas – it’s the same now. The ball is never quickly fizzed in to the strikers feet in the final third. Fault of the strikers and probably a lack of movement from Van Persie I imagine.
However I just can’t see that we will let go both Van Persie and Falcao over the summer. It’s fairly clear, barring a miraculous last 10 game run that Falcao won’t be kept on. Van Persie will be tough to move on with those wages, so I imagine he will still be at the club next season.
Who else to bring in is a tough one – a lot of talk about Dybala from Palermo, apparently he is a top talent (I don’t know, never watched hi for 90 mins). But he is a young pacey left footed finisher, which sounds quite similar to a certain James Wilson already on the books.
Would anyone take a punt on Lukaku? Strong player can lead the line, knows the Prem, scores goals and a good finisher. Maybe not quite the level we need though I’m not sure.
*Fault of the midfielders (not strikers)
Solid analysis, and worse, I can’t find any excuses for their lack of end product. Injury problems and World Cup induced fatigue don’t really cut it anymore. If only Rooney’s first touch was less catastrophic these days, perhaps he could be the man. This has to be the least bad option left to us now anyway. Playing Wilson might work for the last 20 mins or so given is pace, but he hasn’t impressed me much as a starter to be honest, and against the bigger teams at least his inclusion seems risky. I’d much rather see a lone striker with the work rate, mobility and potential finishing quality of Rooney, with all our best attacking midfielders fitting nicely into the starting IX.
Our real problem is lack of leadership though. Someone above posted about the need for a talisman, and it’s no doubt our biggest problem right now. Look at Arsenal, and how much they rely on Sanchez when things aren’t going their way. That fiercely competitive, quality player, who can take the pressure off his weaker compatriots, and inspire them to perform even in a poor game, if only for the 15 mins it might take to equalise. One hopes that Blind or Herrera could be that player, because they both have the moulding of a leader it seems. Herrera in particular seems the promising sort, with a lovely mix of Scholes’ quality and Keanes determination, combined with a thoroughly attacking mindset, befitting of Uniteds traditions. If only he was a slightly bigger lad…and had managed to resist the temptation of the trainer-coach’s personal stock of cheese, or whatever has kept him out of the Dutchmans favor.
Given Strootman may never recover again, and Vidal seems like a long shot, it’s difficult to see who we could buy to give us that general in midfield. Pogba seems an impossible move, and with everything he has going for him, I am wondering if he might be getting too big a head anyway, even if the narrative of him returning alone would be worth the absurd fee required. Maybe Nianggolan could be an option. Bit short, but he runs forever, wins balls and contributes offensively, and his age seems right. He couldn’t lead the team, but perhaps Herrera and Rooney could do that, along with a bit of fresh, German import in the mould of Hummels come summer time.