There is no way of dressing it up — Manchester United are having a very painful season and seem to be breaking unwanted records every time they play. Show Between losing half of their matches, conceding 15 goals in the six-game Champions League group phase and their goal-shy strikers struggling to find the net, they are in danger of enduring one of their worst campaigns in the modern era. However, they are still sixth in the Premier League, just six points behind 2022-23 treble winners Manchester City, and as the stats below show, dreadful form before Christmas doesn’t always mean a season is doomed to end in failure. Which is why The Athletic put United’s form into context with some of the most telling stats from their season so far… • United have lost 12 of their 24 games in all competitions this season. The last time they were defeated in this many of their opening 24 matches of a campaign was in 1973-74 (13 losses). That is also the most recent occasion that the club have been relegated from the top flight of English football.  United were knocked out of the Champions League this week, finishing bottom of their group (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) • Those 12 defeats mean Erik ten Hag’s side have already lost the same number of matches as they did in the whole of last season — despite playing 38 more games throughout 2022-23 compared to the first four months of 2023-24 (62 to 24). • In Sir Alex Ferguson’s 26 full seasons as United manager, they lost more than 12 games in all competitions just four times — in 1988-89, 1989-90, 2000-01 and 2001-02. The most matches United lost in a season under the Scotsman was 17, in 1989-90. United had been defeated 10 times after 24 games of that campaign. • Only three clubs in all of Europe’s ‘big five’ domestic leagues have lost more times than United this season — the Bundesliga’s Union Berlin (14 defeats), La Liga’s Almeria (13) and the Premier League’s Burnley (13). There are 96 teams in total in these divisions. 12th defeat of the season for Man Utd. • United have conceded three goals or more in nine of their matches this season (38 per cent). The last time the club let in three or more goals in a greater number of games than this was in 1976-77, when they did so 11 times. However, they played 59 matches in that campaign — in this one, they have played 24. It is worth pointing out that Tommy Docherty’s United team did win the FA Cup that season, denying arch-rivals Liverpool the treble in the process. • The forward to score most recently for United in a Premier League match at Old Trafford was Jadon Sancho… in the final league game of last season (against Fulham). Ten Hag’s team have played nine home Premier League fixtures since then. • United conceded four times in two of their six Champions League group games — away against Bayern Munich in September and at FC Copenhagen in November. For context, the club conceded four or more goals in a match just three times in their 293 games and 31 seasons in the European Cup/Champions League before 2023-24 (including qualifying-phase matches). • The 15 goals United conceded in the six Champions League matches are the most ever let in by a Premier League team in a single group in the competition. It is the same number of goals Chelsea conceded in the whole of the 2004-05 Premier League season (across 38 games). • After Tuesday night’s home loss to Bayern Munich, The Athletic’s Duncan Alexander pointed out that Harry Kane has as many assists at Old Trafford this season as Bruno Fernandes, United’s captain and playmaker. Fernandes has played 13 games at the stadium this season, Kane has played there once. Harry Kane now has as many assists at Old Trafford this season as Bruno Fernandes — Duncan Alexander (@oilysailor) December 12, 2023 • Ten Hag’s side have lost seven of their first 16 Premier League games this season. The last time United had more defeats in their opening 16 league matches in a top-flight campaign was in 1973-74, when they were beaten eight times. The club’s 16th game of that season took place on November 17, 1973 — 12 days before Ryan Giggs was born. • Across the 21 Premier League seasons that Ferguson was United manager, his teams lost more than seven times in the competition just twice (2001-02 and 2003-04, suffering nine defeats in both). • United have scored 18 Premier League goals after 16 matches. The last time the club had scored fewer at this stage of a league campaign was in 1992-93 — the inaugural Premier League season — when they had 17. United signed Eric Cantona between their 16th and 17th league matches of that campaign, then scored 50 times in their remaining 26 matches and won the title. In total, United have scored fewer than 18 goals at this stage of a top-flight season just seven times previously (this is the club’s 99th campaign in English football’s highest division). • United have faced 115 shots in Premier League games at Old Trafford this season, which is an average of 12.8 per game. Only last-placed Sheffield United (164) and third-bottom Luton Town (122) have faced more shots in their home league matches this campaign. • United have a goal difference of -3 in the Premier League. The last time they had a worse goal difference after exactly 16 league games was in 1978-79, when it was -4. • They have lost four of their nine Premier League games at Old Trafford this season. Ferguson’s United were beaten at home that many times combined in the first four seasons of the competition — 1992-93 (two), 1993-94 (one), 1994-95 (one) and 1995-96 (zero). Who is Man United top goal scorers 2023?After a standout 2022/23 campaign in particular, there is no surprise that Rashford tops the scorers list for 2023. Our no. 10 found the back of the net 22 times over the last 12 months, followed closely by captain Bruno, who made it on to the scoresheet 16 times. Who is Man U's leading goal scorer?The club's record appearance maker is Ryan Giggs, who made 963 appearances between 1991 and 2014, and the club's record goalscorer is Wayne Rooney, who scored 253 goals in 559 appearances between 2004 and 2017. Who has played for Manchester United the most games?They experienced the most successful period in their history under the management of Alex Ferguson, who guided the team to 13 league titles in 21 years. Ryan Giggs is Manchester United's most-capped player of all time, making 963 appearances in 23 years for the club. How many points does Manchester United have?CLUBS
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