Chris Sutton doesn’t think a lot has changed for Manchester United since they appointed Jose Mourinho as manager.
The BT Sport pundit, who scored 15 times for Blackburn Rovers during their title run in 1994/95, has been less than impressed with the club’s style of play in recent weeks.
“I think the brand of football is a problem,” Sutton said on BT’s Sport Score on Saturday afternoon.
“David Moyes was heavily criticised, Louis van Gaal was heavily criticised, what has changed?
“When you look at the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City and Tottenham, they are miles ahead of Manchester United.”
Yes, Sutton was speaking after a goalless draw with Burnley extended United’s winless run in the league to four games.
But does that tell the whole story? Not according to the stats:
37 – Manchester United's total of 37 shots is their most in a Premier League game since 2003/04 (Opta records began). Frustration.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 29, 2016
United have played four games in the league since the 4-1 victory over champions Leicester City which signalled that they were back.
Two of those have come at home, and two on the road. In the two home games they have registered 61 shots on goal and 20 on target.
That’s one shot fewer than they managed in Louis van Gaal’s last four games at Old Trafford, and just two fewer than the last four home outings under Moyes.
There are certainly some things for which one can criticise Mourinho since his arrival in Manchester, but the last two home league games have arguably brought a return to the sort of attacking intent to which fans became accustomed under Alex Ferguson.
Were it not for some virtuoso goalkeeping displays from Lee Grant and Tom Heaton, we might not even be having this conversation at all.
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