Why are Manchester United struggling against the ‘Big Six’?

While this season has had promising moments for Manchester United, they have been let down by their record for scoring against the ‘Big Six’. The past four games against the traditional ‘Big Six’ have ended in 0-0 draws, two of these being against Chelsea.

It is a disheartening statistic, especially when in the most recent meeting against Chelsea, United only managed to have four shots on target. For a team who were once ahead of Manchester City and hoping to mount a title challenge, performances against the ‘Big Six’ need to be better.

Many believe that United flounder against them as they rely too heavily on one player: Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese has faced criticism recently as many believe that he has not managed to deliver against the ‘Big Six’.

It is clear to see that Fernandes is one of the biggest reasons why United sit at second in the Premier League table but his performances against the traditional ‘Big Six’ have left a lot to be desired. However, he has put in good performances against teams who sit higher in the table than many of them, such as West Ham United and Leicester City.

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Manchester United have not won against any of the ‘Big Six’ in the Premier League this season

Another issue United have with their goalscoring record against the ‘Big Six’ is players dropping in and out of form. You can say this about Anthony Martial.

Martial has had a massive dip in form recently, failing to hit the heights of last season when he was the club’s leading scorer with 23 goals. Following his lack of form, the Frenchman might very well be behind Edinson Cavani in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s pecking order.

Even Marcus Rashford has not been in top form recently. He made a splendid start to the season but has faded away since then. Viewed by many as the club’s main scorer at this point of time, this has certainly been a huge reason behind their recent struggles to hit the back of the net.

Finally, another reason for United’s struggle against the bigger teams is the absence of Paul Pogba. The French midfielder has been missed during his absence due to injury. And it is clear to see that he is still a massive part of this team despite the presence of Fernandes.

Once again, United are relying on individual brilliance. And while it has gotten them all three points on multiple occasions, the same has not happened against the ‘Big Six’.