Manchester United's expected goals (xG) statistics show they're currently well behind their Premier League rivals.
United were expected to launch a Premier League title challenge this season but that never really began. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in November and interim manager Ralf Rangnick has since encountered similar problems as the Norwegian's successor.
Rangnick's side won consecutive games before the winter break and they now sit fourth in the Premier League table.
After a tumultuous season, United's target is now to secure Champions League football, so how do they compare to their rivals?
When excluding Manchester City and Liverpool, who sit at the top of the table, it's interesting to compare Chelsea, West Ham, Arsenal, Tottenham and Wolves to United, as it seems those six teams will fight for the remaining two places in the top four.
The concept of expected goals (xG) is relatively new in football but it's a helpful statistic that is becoming increasingly popular.
The metric quantifies a goal-scoring opportunity by assessing a chance based on a number of different variables such as shot location and shot type. It gives a truer reflection of the level of performance away from scorelines, which can sometimes be deceiving.
United are struggling in attack, as they've created 1.34 non-penalty xG per game this season and only Wolves have a worse record.
United have also conceded 1.37 non-penalty xGA (expected goals against) per game this term, which is the worst record compared to their rivals. Chelsea have conceded just 0.83 non-penalty xGA per game, for example, and this highlights the gulf in quality.
The statistics show that United will need to improve if they want to secure Champions League football.
