Opta highlights a truly damning stat for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Man United over with a large sample size

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Stats can usually be trotted out to prove any point if you manipulate them over a short period of time, but if you look at a sample size of 20 games then it gives you a good picture of a team.

Man United have plenty of issues just now, but the way that Liverpool just opened them up at will on Sunday demonstrated just how weak the overall team unit is, and this stat is devastatingly poor for a team with supposed title ambitions.

Solskjaer is such a strange example of a Man United manager because he does seem to be liked by everyone – United fans for his achievements and status as a player, while neutrals will appreciate that he’s a decent person and rival fans simply love how weak United are just now.

The defensive record can be attributed to the poor quality of player at the club – every single defender seems to have one almighty weakness that opposing teams can get at, and there’s not a combination that seems to provide any solidity just now.

They aren’t the only players to blame – we saw on Sunday that the midfield was all over the place and there was no real defensive structure to speak of, but that is the result of dreadful coaching and it’s where Solskjaer has to take the blame.

“Defense wins championships” is a saying for a reason and United can’t rely on being able to outscore teams every single week, and it’s something that needs to be addressed immediately.

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