Manchester United players given the pre-season combined with the fixtures and player prices on Fantasy Premier League were hot properties going into the campaign.
The likes of Bruno Fernandes were seen as substitutes for Mo Salah. Strong convictions were laid out of the belief the Portugal international will not only match the Egyptian but outscore him.
The four million price difference between the two added more logic to the arguments. Any rebuttals were thus seen as mere nostalgia for a player’s past performance.
In the first 2 PL games, Manchester United have underperformed their xG by 3.28.
Only Everton and Wolves have a worse stat than United.
Curtain raiser fixture against Wolves saw Manchester United as a team seemingly a bit off the pace.
It was perhaps a lucky three points against a team tipped for relegation dogfight after losing their manager nine days before the campaign started.
Popular players like Rashford, considered a must-have along with Bruno and Shaw, all blanked. Managers with Stones in the drafts had opted for Shaw as the replacement for the City defender.
Manchester United attacking stats first 2 PL games (PL rank)
Shots — 37 (4th)
Shots inside the box — 28 (3rd)
Big chances — 6 (5th)
xG non-pen — 4.28 (4th)
Goals — 1 (Joint 13th; Only Everton/Burnley have scored fewer)
Ange Postecoglou has started life at Spurs with a reputation of nothing being sweeter in life than the sound of the ball hitting the back of the net.
His philosophy was showcased against Brentford with Spurs drawing 2-2 against the Bees.
Thus, Manchester United’s fixture against Spurs was seen as a potential for goals. There will be opportunities and spaces for Rashford and Bruno to take advantage was the hope.
Manchester United
vs Wolves – 15 shots, 2 big chances, 2.21 xG
vs Tottenham – 22 shots, 4 big chances, 1.99 xG
— 37 shots total — 6 big chances — 5 big chances missed — 4.20 xG — Only 1 goal scored
Owners of these players in Fantasy Premier League were probably trying to create the narrative of the Wolves fixture being an anomaly at least in their heads.
Rashford is not a number 9, Bruno and Shaw are performing well, but someone has to finish those chances
The match against Spurs began and any such thoughts of anomalies were probably put into the dumb dustbin quite quickly.
Manchester United looked tired again with Spurs hitting the bar twice in a run of play. Bruno Fernandes had the most glorious chance in the first half missing a header yard from goal.
On any other day, he scores, and the narratives surrounding Manchester United become different.
It was not, not even a penalty, Bruno Fernandes feels so sure about, after the ball had hit Romero in the hand.
The incident was deemed non-punishable given Romero’s distance from the ball and his hand not entirely in an unnatural position.
People who sell Bruno after this performance are the same people who say FPL is all luck.
Spurs scored twice in the second half, as is known, running out 2-0 winners, despite Richarlison’s constant showcase of him being nowhere near replacement of departed Harry Kane.
The first goal, scored by Sarr was from a ricochet of Martinez, the Argentine was involved again with the second, this time finding the back of his net while his substitution was already lined up by Ten Hag.
Rashford has been non-existent again today, think he might be more of an immediate sell than Bruno. Bruno is extremely frustrating, but his xMins are slightly higher, he is involved in everything and he's on pens.
More than Bruno Fernandes, it is the large majority of Rashford owners bound to be concerned with the display. Rashford playing through the middle was hardly impactful throughout the match.
He is far more comfortable from the wings and his lackluster performance through the middle summed up the evening for Manchester United.
Rashford managed an xA of 0.05 with an xG of 0.36, and an xGi of 0.41, an utterly dismal performance from the Englishman.
Fernandes in comparison had a better evening he managed an xA of 0.42 with an xG of 0.76 and an xGi of 1.20. He was simply more involved in the proceedings though without any output.
Early season hypes and hopes of Manchester United fans and Fantasy managers bringing their players in the drafts have slowly started to shift to feelings of worry.
Shaw too could have had a good game managing an xA of 0.47, creating six chances, the most by any defender on Saturday.
The new season has continued with the old problems of Manchester United.
There are plenty of good players to create chances but without any focal attacking point to finish them, their struggle from an attacking sense hasn’t changed much or any at all. Rashford struggling to exert his presence at the front is proof of the matter.
There's far more precious use of free transfers than to sell either of these before Forest at home!
No point in selling good FPL assets with good fixtures for other good assets with good fixtures 🫤 pic.twitter.com/hiScQVva4B
Ten Hag as a manager has consistently struggled away from Old Trafford since he arrived in the Premier League. Perhaps the Dutchman will have much self-thinking regarding team tactics as well.
Manchester United’s next fixtures against Nottingham Forest could not come at a better time.
Playing at home, Ten Hag’s side will be looking to put a marker down after a difficult start to the season.
For Fantasy managers after persisting two games with Manchester United players in their squads, selling them before a fixture against Forest at home seems wrong.
The play is to keep for one last hurrah and then to assess after the game week.
