After reading this piece in The Athletic from @Ankaman616 on Manchester United & their lack of risk taking, I was inclined to look a bit deeper into their underlying numbers in possession. https://theathletic.com/2203266/2020/11/22/manchester-united-premier-league/

There were some very good points brought up in the article, & looking at some various metrics they tend to match up well with the eye-test. Though some of the instances mentioned in this particular piece can be influenced by preference, the data is still backing the thesis.

While the 2 key examples highlighted were arguably United´s 2 biggest chances in the match with an xG of .35 (Martial) & .44 (Rashford), it still goes to show a perceived lack of risk taking. Below are a just a few key numbers which do indeed back the point of the article.

Any team which is "playing it safe" as opposed to taking risks will most likely have a high number of short & "safe" passes. If we start at the very backend, we will find that only 2 teams in the Premier League have a shorter Average Length from goal kicks (37.2 yds) than United.

As well, only 2 teams have a smaller Launch Percentage (goal kicks longer than 40 yards) from goal kicks than United, with 43.4% being "Launched". Here we can already begin to see that United prioritise retaining possession. United also have the lowest number of attempts

when it comes to Launch attempts from the keeper in open play, with only 63 pass attempts longer than 40 yards. A clear indication that United look to build from the back & maintain possession.

Looking at their pass data we can see a similar trend of risk averse pass attempts. With a team Pass Completion Percent of 83.4%, only 4 teams in the Premier League have a higher total. And though United attempt the 4th highest total number of passes per 90 in the League,

their Total Distance of completed passes ranks just 8th. Where we can really begin to see United´s lack of risk taking in their pass attempts comes when we look at Short Passes. With an average of 249.0 Shrort Pass Attempts per 90 (passes between 5 & 15 yards), no team in the

Premier League attempts more. Taking a look at the the other end of the spectrum, United attempt just 88.3 Long Passes per 90 (passes longer than 30 yards), only 3 teams in the PL attempt fewer.

Looking at more specific pass types, the trend of low risk passing continues. The aforementioned article correctly points out that aside from Bruno Fernandes, the team attempts few risky passes. Once again, the data backs this up. Even with a volume of total passes per match at

583 (4th in PL), United have only attempted a total of 66 Smart Passes (A creative and penetrative pass that attempts to break the opposition's defensive lines to gain a significant advantage in attack) this season. This ranks just 7th in the PL, & Bruno has attempted 35% of

of these, with a total of 23. Another passing metric which can help us to see the amount of danger in a pass, is Key Passes (A pass that immediately creates a clear goal scoring opportunity for a teammate who in turn fails to score). Here United rank just 13th in the PL with a

total of 24. Bruno has attempted 10 of these himself, 42% of the team total. Here are a few more key stats which fit the narrative that United struggle with chance creation in their attacking phases. United have scored just 5 goals from open play so far this season, only 4 teams

in the PL have scored less. In addition, United have also scored the highest total number of goals from counter attacks in the PL this season with 3.

I have tried to keep this short analysis as objective as possible by simply supplying the numbers. I personally am beginning to see a clearer playing style & philosophy from match to match, one which is predicated on ball retention. Much of the the playing style will be subject

to preference, but as long the whole team is on the same page and they have something to build on I think the club is heading in the right direction.

Data: @fbref @Wyscout @WhoScored