Everton opposition scouting report: Manchester United
By Gary Pearson
Everton have the opportunity to leapfrog Manchester United in the standings when the Red Devils come to Goodison on Sunday.
With 20 points from 13 matches, United sit in sixth place and are one point ahead of Everton. Jose Mourinho’s team have scored 18 goals, two more than Everton, with both teams having conceded 15.
Let’s take a deeper look at United in the lead up to the six-point affair on Sunday.
United’s current form
United have drawn five of their last seven matches and recorded one win, away to Swansea, in that span. Their one loss in that stretch came in a 4-0 demolishing away to Chelsea.
United exploded for three first half goals in the Swansea game. The only other time United scored in the first half during this run was against West Ham, which finished in a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
United, thanks to their current mediocre run, have five draws, level with West Brom and Southampton for the third most in the Premier League. Only Spurs and Middlesbrough, with six, have drawn more matches.
United’s strengths
Strong defensive unit
United have four clean sheets, the fourth most in the Premier League. Southampton, Chelsea and Spurs are the only teams with more clean sheets.
United, if you take the Chelsea debacle out of the equation, haven’t conceded more than two goals all season. And they only conceded two goals once, against Manchester City in early September. Conceding one goal on seven separate occasions, the Red Devils have one of the most organised, well-drilled defensive units in the top flight. Defensively speaking, it’s a classic Mourinho setup.
While they don’t make a lot of tackles as a collective unit, United are well-versed at breaking up opposing offensive forays. United, with 238 interceptions, have the third most in the top flight.
Minus the Chelsea anomaly, United have conceded 11 goals in 12 games, which would rank them among the top defensive units in the league. They’re tough to break down, especially as United usually enjoy the lion’s share of possession.
Success at Goodison
Historically, United enjoy playing at Goodison. They’ve won 15 matches at Goodison, more than any other venue in England. Everton have won only six of the last 24 matches against United at Goodison, but it’s a different story altogether in recent outings.
Winning three of four against United at Goodison, Everton are starting to turn the tide in this fixture. The Toffees should take great confidence from recent home results against their Manchester rivals.
The Zlatan Ibrahimovic factor
United would be in a world of hurt without Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The forever dangerous striker has seven – 39 percent – of United’s 18 league goals. Odds are that United win when Ibrahimovic scores.
United have lost only one of eight matches when the Swedish talisman scores. It’s a record that includes six wins and a draw. Their only loss came in a 2-1 home defeat against the blue side of Manchester.
The 35-year-old has scored four goals in all competitions away from Old Trafford so far this season and United won all three of those games.
In form and on fire, United’s lone danger man has scored five goals in his last three starts, including two in a 3-1 away win at Swansea. He also bagged a brace in a dominant home cup performance against West Ham last time out. Goals are never valued as highly in the EFL Cup, but they’re goals nonetheless.
If Everton can stifle Ibrahimovic’s supply and scoring chances, they should have come away from the match with at least a point.
United’s weaknesses
United, for all their possession, completed passes and attempted shots, miss a lot of chances.
United have the fourth most attempted shots (220) and shots on target (75) in the league. However, their goal production is comparatively anaemic. They have 18 goals, which is the seventh best overall offense.
Next: First half misery main reason for Toffees recent downfall
But it’s their recent inability to finish that is most concerning for Mourinho, as his team has failed to score more than one goal in six of seven matches. The only exception came in a three-goal performance away to Swansea.
United almost broke a Premier League record with 38 attempted shots in their recent home match with Burnley. Of those 38 shots, 11 were on target. The match ended in a scoreless draw, underpinning their recent scoring deficiencies.
They’ve also been shutout in three of their last six encounters, two of which were away from the friendly confines of Old Trafford. The only other occasion United scored more than one goal on their travels was away to Bournemouth on the opening day of the season.