Premier League table exposes clear problem at Chelsea and Man Utd – Express

The Premier League table underlines Manchester United and Chelsea’s struggles when it comes to earning points, though specifically their attacking problems are also highlighted despite their respective spending sprees over the past 12 months. Both sides have lacked a cutting edge in the final third which has ultimately proved decisive in numerous matches.
United secured their 13th win of the season over the weekend when snatching a 2-1 win against Aston Villa. Scott McTominay popped up with an 86th-minute winner for Erik ten Hag’s side, taking them up to sixth place in the table.
The Scotland international’s late thumping header took United’s goal tally for the campaign to 33 goals, which is the lowest of all the clubs in the top half. The Red Devils splashed the cash on signing Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta over the summer, but the Denmark international has only recently managed to produce his best form.
The 21-year-old has five league goals to his name this season, along with Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho. Remarkably, midfielder McTominay is United’s top scorer with seven goals.
Don’t miss… Todd Boehly risks dressing room uproar as Chelsea star ‘set to be axed’ Bruno Fernandes is the only other player in Ten Hag’s side to have found the back of the net more than once this season, highlighting why the ex-Ajax manager was desperate for the higher powers at the club to bring in at least one more striker during the January transfer window.
If United are to compete for silverware and return to their glory days then they must improve up top as they are not producing anywhere near enough goals to compete with the likes of Manchester City (56), Arsenal (53) and Liverpool (55).
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy PolicySimilarly, Chelsea’s weaknesses in the final third is to blame for their underwhelming campaign so far. Mauricio Pochettino’s side have scored just 38 goals so far this season, which is made all the more of a gloomy statistic given that the ex-Tottenham manager is working with a squad worth over £1billion.
Cole Palmer (10), Nicolas Jackson (7), Mykhaylo Mudryk (3) and Christopher Nkunku (3) have been the Blues’ most lethal finishers so far this season, though there is still a significant missing piece of the puzzle in Chelsea’s attack which needs addressing over the summer.
Despite having numerous talented wingers at his disposal, Pochettino is desperate for his side to fork out a significant fee on a proven No. 9 who can lead the line for this side in both the short and long term. However, acquiring the services of a significant talent could prove difficult if Chelsea do not qualify for Europe this season, meaning that their lack of composure up top needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.
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