Manchester United’s player performance in November

"UNITED RANT MONTHLTY" is out.  I've posted this one article but you can go onto his website http://www.unitedrant.co.uk/latest/rant-monthly-issue-5-december-2011/ and read the rest of the magazine.

In partnership with the EA Sports Player Performance Index, Rant Monthly uncovers the data behind Manchester United’s strong start to the 2011/12 campaign. The EA Sports PPI covers Premier League performance based on a mathematical model developed Dr Ian McHale (a Liverpool fan) and Professor Phil Scarf (a United fan). The index provides objective ratings for players’ performances in a match, and over a season, enabling comparisons across positions, and over time, by identifying how much a player genuinely contributes to a team’s success. Players are allocated points based on set criteria, including matches won by the team, specific actions during a match, time on the pitch, goals, assists and clean sheets. McHale and Scart have analysed hundreds of matches since the Premier League’s inception in order to quantify the relationships between player actions and the match result.

Goalkeepers:

·         Both David de Gea and Anders Lindegaard have enjoyed a run out in November, with de Gea taking the role between the sticks twice and Lindegaard once in the game against Sunderland at Old Trafford;

·         Lindegaard had just one save to make in that game, while de Gea has made eight in his games against Newcastle United and Swansea City. Those nine saves across three games show a more stable defence than the one that forced the two goalkeepers into 25 saves across four games in October;

·         Between them the goalkeepers conceded just one goal in November.

Defence:

·         After a difficult start to the season dogged by injuries United had something like their first choice back four available throughout November, with Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidić and Patrice Evra starting every game, while Fabio da Silva and Phil Jones rotated right-back duties;

·         As a squad United made 17 clearances and 11 blocks in protecting the goal, with nine clearances and seven blocks coming from centre back pairing Ferdinand and Vidić;

·         United won 54.55 per cent of all tackles in November, winning 18 and losing 15;

Midfield:

·         United has also been buoyed with the return to form of central midfielders Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick;

·         Fletcher has averaged a pass completed in his opponent’s half every three minutes 25 seconds in his two appearances in November, while Carrick did so every three minutes six seconds in his three appearances;

·         Ashley Young also returned against Newcastle and made an instant impact with four efforts at goal (two on target) and delivering eight crosses, almost a quarter of United’s total crosses for the month;

·         Young also put in the highest individual distance covered for a single game in November, clocking up exactly seven miles against Newcastle, although it was the game against Sunderland that saw United put in the most miles overall this month. The team covered a total of 66.51 miles in that game;

·         Ryan Giggs, meanwhile, continues to roll back the years and put in an incredible 71 passes completed in his opponent’s half over two performances, averaging one every two minutes 24 seconds

Strikers:

·         Of most concern to United fans will be that after a high-scoring start to the season, November has seen United players net just twice in three games (the winner against Sunderland was an own goal by former United defender Wes Brown);

·         Javier Hernández scored both of those;

·         Hernández’ goals came from ten efforts on goal with six on target, making an accuracy rating of 60 per cent and a chance conversion rating of 20 per cent;

·         Rooney drew a blank again in November, despite having 13 attempts on goal with nine on target (69 per cent accuracy), though the United striker worked hard for his team mates contributing 109 passes in his opponents area, one every two minutes 37 seconds.

Ed Barker (Editor : UnitedRant)

 Jade Christopher Bentley Adams (jcba)