There might have been some positional flexibility to the selections, but essentially Erik ten Hag picked three different strikers in three games for Manchester United last week. Nothing explains better why a goalscoring No. 9 is top of his transfer list this summer, despite David de Gea's wobbles in goal.
It was Marcus Rashford who led the line against Aston Villa, before Anthony Martial was restored at Brighton. Then came Wout Weghorst's selection at West Ham, albeit he ended up playing in a role just behind Rashford. None of the trio scored.
The tinkering to try and find a solution hindered rather than helped United, who scored one goal across the three games, a deflected Bruno Fernandes effort against Villa. Rashford played as a striker and a left-winger during the week. Fernandes played on the right, left and in his customary midfield role. No wonder there was a lack of rhythm to the attacks at the London Stadium.
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There is a feeling United are running out of puff after 57 games so far this season, but then it can be easy to confuse fatigue with just a loss of form and there is certainly an element of that among key players. The midfield has lost the quality and the control it had and none of the forwards look threatening at the moment.
Leicester City's three goals in defeat on Monday now mean that the team in 19th have scored the same number of Premier League goals as United this season. They have improved as a collective from last season but still need eight more goals to match last season's mark of 57. The four seasons before that saw 68, 65, 66 and 73 goals scored in the league, so it shows it has been a major issue this season.
That is made all the more confounding by the fact Rashford's tally of 29 goals in all competitions is the most by a United player in a season since Robin van Persie hit 30 a decade ago.
But rather than Rashford's goalscoring improvement being a bonus, it has become make-or-break. In four seasons from 2017-18 to 2020-21, United had four players every campaign hitting double figures for goals. In 2017/18 it was Romelu Lukaku, Jesse Lingard, Martial and Rashford. The following season Paul Pogba replaced Lingard on that list.
In 2019/20 it was Fernandes and Mason Greenwood who joined Martial and Rashford in double figures. In 2020/21 Edinson Cavani replaced Martial's goals. But since then the trend has stopped. Only Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo managed it last season and only Fernandes (11) and Rashford (29) have done it this term.
Time is running out for anyone else to hit that tally. Antony has eight but his finishing is wayward and he should have scored at Brighton. Martial has seven but hasn't scored in eight games. Of the other forwards, Jadon Sancho has six but only one in his last 17 appearances and is in a rut again. Alejandro Garnacho has five but is yet to get back on the pitch after injury. Weghorst has scored twice in 26 games in all competitions.
That has meant a focus on Rashford all season and that is now becoming an issue, with the 25-year-old's form dipping in recent weeks. He took his goal at Tottenham superbly - as did Sancho - but that is his only goal in his last seven games.
United have scored just three times in their last six games in all competition, drawing a blank in four of them. In the Premier League they have failed to score in five of their last 10.
It explains why a striker is the absolute priority this summer, even if it swallows the majority of a transfer budget that won't stretch far unless it is swelled by sales.
Speaking to Dutch journalists after the game on Sunday, Weghorst said he hadn't been told United didn't want him next season, but his two goals in 34 Premier League games for Burnley and United should tell the story on its own. He did have a shot on target against the Hammers, which put him in a small club.
United were profligate with their shooting at the London Stadium but their early flurry was half-chances at best. They didn't come again until Martial's two opportunities in injury time. The better chances were wasted at Brighton on Thursday night.
In their three games last week United registered xG totals of 1.2 (Villa), 1.4 (Brighton) and 1.2 (West Ham). They should have scored more but the supply line wasn't great either. Keeping Fernandes in a central role would help that.
But the very best strikers can fashion their own chances as well as take the few that arrive. Tottenham had an xG of less than one when they beat Brighton 2-1 and Harry Kane scored. They had an xG of exactly one at Newcastle and although they were thrashed, Kane scored. Their xG against Crystal Palace was 0.9 but they won because, you guessed it, Kane scored.
United don't have a striker capable of doing that. Had the late chances on Sunday fallen to Kane rather than Martial then United wouldn't have lost. It's that simple. That is why they need an elite goalscorer this summer.
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