Ralf Rangnick is starting to recognise positive signs of development at Manchester United, despite poor recent results.
The Reds have drawn each of their last two matches against Burnley and Middlesbrough but nevertheless, the German coach has spotted underlying improvements.
According to United's interim boss, the issue at hand relates to finishing. His team have performed reasonably well in recent contests, but they simply haven't managed to convert their shots into goals.
"I think we are creating enough chances in the last couple of games but we just didn't score enough goals," he said. "This is not only an issue with Cristiano, it's an issue with the other players, especially the offensive players."
He continued: "If you bear in mind how many chances we create, this is something that needs to get better in the next couple of weeks."
His comments appear accurate once assessing the club's last two games. Rangnick's men have posted a total of 52 shots but they have scored just two goals, which conflicts with one of the team's well-known strengths over the past few years.
United haven't always showcased consistent performances but regardless of their struggles, they have typically proved to be ruthless when presented with opportunities to score.
Expected Goals (xG) can offer an insight into finishing. The metric considers the likelihood of an attempt finding the net by considering historical outcomes.
Penalties, for example, are typically scored around 76% of the time, which is why those shots tend to be worth 0.76 xG. An effort from 40 yards, on the other hand, tends to be worth around 0.01 xG because those are scored less than 1% of the time.
When facing Burnley, United generated shots worth roughly 2.1 goals according to xG, but the team found the net just once. Based on that, the Reds showcased poor finishing against the Clarets.
Over the past four years, that has not been the case very often. United have regularly overperformed by scoring more than expected.
Last season, United scored a total of 8.1 goals more than expected - excluding penalties - which was the third-biggest overperformance in the Premier League behind only Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
One season earlier, they overperformed again by 6.2 goals.
In fact, dating back to 2017 - excluding the current campaign - United have scored 27.9 goals above expectation, which likely stems from the quality forwards at the club and how they manage to convert compared to the average player.
This season, they are still overperforming in the Premier League, but by a marginal amount of 2.3 goals which places them close to mid-table. That figure will continue to drop if the players continue to struggle in front of goal.
Ultimately, United are known for their clinical nature, but that prowess has to be restored in the coming weeks and Rangnick knows it.
