It’s Thursday and we are back with a whole bunch of stats to relive through the 2016-17 season. Jose Mourinho’s first season at Old Trafford surely had its highs and lows. The lowest point was the 4-0 drubbing by Chelsea while winning the Europa League was the perfect end to the season.
54- Goals scored by United in the Premier League
United scored just 54 goals in the League all season- an all time low by United’s standards. Zlatan was the top scorer with 28 goals, while Mkhitaryan and Rashford bagged 11 a piece. Mata was prolific in front of the goal scoring 10 goals!
18- Clear cut chances missed by Zlatan
According to Opta, Zlatan was the least productive player in front of the goal, missing 18 clear cut chances. He could have scored a whooping 46 goals had he found his goal scoring boots!
15- Starts made by Wayne Rooney
Wazza is surely on the decline in the last few years. This year he started just 15 times, his lowest ever. The least before this was 22 starts in the 2012-13 campaign. He played just 1,540 minutes of league football for United, with 358 of those coming in May, once Mourinho had focused all his attention on the Europa League.
3- Interceptions by Herrera per 90 minutes
Ander is touted as a future captain because of his massive influence of the game. His role as midfield enforcer saw him make the highest interceptions per game for United. He also had 44 appearances- the third highest.
49- Appearances by Paul Pogba
He is known for his physicality and his strength. This season Paul was available almost all the time, missing just 2 weeks in April because of a muscle fatigue injury. David de Gea was the main goalkeeper for Jose and he also subsequently made 45 appearances.
6- Assists by Martial and Herrera each
Martial did not have an impressive campaign, but still managed 4 goals and 6 assists in the league. Herrera seen usually as a defensive player, made 6 assists and also scored a goal.
6- Goals scored by Mkhitaryan in the Europa League
Henrikh was Mr. Reliable for Jose in the Europa League this season, scoring 6 goals. Crucially he also doubled the lead against Ajax in the final. He was not too bad in the league either: scoring 4 goals and assisting 1.
11- Yellow cards won by Herrera and Fellaini
Both the midfielders and known for their aggressive game especially Fellaini. This reputation was just enhanced this season with 11 yellow cards a piece. Herrera was the naughtier of the two, winning 2 red cards opposed to Fellaini’s one.
3- Trophies won by United
Counting the Community Shield as a trophy is not a crime. It is another feather in the caps of the players. The EFL Cup is often taken lightly by the so called ‘big boys’ yet it is a major trophy which every club would like to have. Ask Tottenham , whose last major trophy was 9 years back! And of course winning a European competition is no small feat, even if it is the second tier competition.