Statistical Preview: Manchester United vs Fulham

Manchester United host Fulham this afternoon, looking to bounce back following a disappointing result against Stoke last time out.  

Manchester United fans will be delighted to hear that Robin Van Persie has returned from injury, as they’ve undoubtedly missed his goalscoring ability this term. The former Arsenal man has scored 9 times in only 13 appearances, at an impressive strike rate of a goal ever 117 minutes.

David Moyes will be hoping that Juan Mata is the man to spark some creativity into Manchester United’s struggling midfield. Despite having limited playing time at Chelsea, Mata managed to register 4 assists. If you compare this to the rest of the United squad, only Wayne Rooney (11) and Adnan Januzaj (4) can match or better Mata. Mata is 7/5 with 888sport.com to score at any point on Saturday.

Tom Cleverley has had his critics at points this season with many citing his lack of creativity as a reason for starting other midfielders ahead of him. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, however, goes some way to refuting these claims as it shows that he completed a pass Stoke’s half at an impressive rate of a pass every 2.5 minutes.

United have struggled to find a settled back four this season, with Patrice Evra the only player to have featured in virtually every game. Nemanja Vidic hasn’t played as much as he would have wished, but he’s still managed to make 162 clearances in that time (the most in the Red Devils squad).

Defensively United have struggled to have a settled back 4. Evra has played all but 1 game this season but no other United defender has played more than 17 games. Chris Smalling has played 17 games and has an impressive 91%, only Nemanja Vidic has a higher ratio at 93%. Despite missing 9 games Vidic has made more clearances than any other United player with 162.

Fulham’s defence has been shaky in recent months, with the Cottagers boasting the unwanted record for the most goals conceded in the league. They conceded 3 at the weekend, but if it wasn’t for Brede Hangeland, it could have been more. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index demonstrates that the Norwegian cleared the ball 20 times – more than any other player in the league.

The signing of Lewis Holtby will boost Fulham as they will look to utilise his undoubted creativity. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that Holtby has completed a pass in the opposition half at a rate of a pass every 2.8 minutes, which is a better rate than any other Fulham player. You can find Holtby at 7/1 with 888sport.com to score at any point this weekend.

If Holtby is to play in the number 10 role for Fulham, he’ll need at least one holding midfielder to shield the back four whilst he works his offensive magic. Fortunately for Fulham, in Scott Parker and Steve Sidwell they have two midfielders who should slot into this position with ease. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that they have won 70 and 62 tackles respectively.