Worrying stats and Ten Hag’s crumbs of comfort

The pressure on manager Erik ten Hag is intensifying as Manchester United experiences its worst start to a season in over six decades.

But just how dire is the situation? And is there any glimmer of hope?

• United has suffered eight defeats in the first 15 games, including five losses out of 10 in the Premier League.

• Manchester City and Newcastle inflicted consecutive three-goal defeats on United’s home turf, marking the first time since 1962 that the team has experienced such a fate.

• Last season, under Ten Hag’s leadership, the team only lost two home games in total against Brighton in the league and Real Sociedad in the Europa League.

• A more positive sign is that both of those losses occurred before mid-September. Ten Hag then orchestrated a remarkable 32-game unbeaten home run, including 13 consecutive wins from October 19 to February 4.

• The team’s average points per game currently stands at 1.5, the lowest for any full Premier League season. If this rate continues, they are on track to finish with 57 points, one fewer than their lowest Premier League total when they finished sixth in the 2021-22 season.

• Throughout the team’s history, there have been five occasions when they have lost fewer than the current five games over an entire Premier League season.

• The team’s worst goal difference in any stage of a Premier League season was minus-six, following a 6-1 defeat to Tottenham in their third game of the 2020-21 season. They are currently only one goal better off, meaning that a defeat to Fulham would at least equal that low point.

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