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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been under fire constantly for his substitutes this season.
It now seems rightly so, according to the statistics.
Statistics from Football365 show ten Hag’s substitutes have only contributed 5 goals and 3 assists off the bench.
This makes him 12th for these stats from all Premier League managers this season.
That means he’s in the bottom half of managers for whome subs are making an impact on games.
Scott McTominay has a reputation for chipping in with clutch goals, and he is solely responsible for 4 of these 5 goals along with an assist.
Erik ten Hag’s substitutes have been bested for impact by 11 Premier League teams which is unacceptable to say the least.
Part of this could be attributed to the club’s struggles in front of goal this season, which have come as a major disappointment to fans.
There was this cloud hanging over the club that a proper number 9 was the missing piece to conquering all of England.
Lack of a 9 was the bane of all our attacks last season, with ten Hag coaching numerous easy 5–0 wins, but that lack of cutting edge meant the games only ended 2-0 or 1-0.
The signing of Höjlund teased to be that, but it remained a fantasy as he and a tough start to life in Manchester, although to be fair to him, the whole team struggled a lot.
Scott McTominay, a defensive midfielder, was and is still our top scorer with 7 goals. We are in March already, and 7 goals for a top goalscorer in March is unheard of.
Rasmus Höjlund has caught fire in the recent weeks and has caught up to McTominay’s 7 goals in only two months before getting injured.
Injuries have greatly hampered United’s progress and the constant search for some consistency.
Multiple injuries throughout the season have left ten Hag with squad depth so fragile he has to sometimes play Amrabat at LB and youth players like Omari Forson have been his options on the bench.
Compared to United’s rivals who sometimes have the luxury of bringing on players like Alvarez, Trossard and Jota off the bench, it is like bringing a knife to a gun fight.
To put our goal-scoring struggles in context, Arsenal have scored 31 goals in their past 6 matches while United have scored 37 goals all Premier League season. An unbelievable and absurd stat!
