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Manchester United’s woeful season has coincided with a dip in form of a number of former key players. Amongst them is Antonio Valencia, who after an intermittent start to his career under David Moyes, has now become a regular for his new boss.
Valencia has created 17 chances so far this season, an average of one chance per game. However, the former Wigan man has registered just two league assists all season. For a winger, these statistics don’t make for inspiring reading and play a large part in the 28-year-old having a current Performance Score of just 90.
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A winger traditionally chips in with goals throughout the season, but Valencia has just one to his name in the league. The Ecuador international has mustered just six shots on goal so far in this Premier League campaign, with only two finding the target, giving him a shot accuracy of just 33%.
Valencia is what many would call an old fashioned winger; he likes to hug the touchline and beat defenders with his pace. He also has a reluctance to cut inside, reducing the number of shooting opportunities from more favourable angles.
A look at Valencia’s action areas from the 2-1 home defeat to Tottenham shows how the Ecuador international likes to stay wide, with more than 80% of his actions during the match taking place on the wing.
In contrast, a look Adnan Januzaj’s action areas from the same game, shows that the teenager is much more willing to cut inside rather than sticking to the touchline.
A typical characteristic of a wingers game is their crossing ability and their delivery from wide areas. Yet this is another area where Valencia is lacking; against Spurs he attempted 13 crosses but only found a team-mate once.
Valencia’s contribution to an already unimaginative looking United outfit is surely under scrutiny. The winger offers little in the way of an attacking outlet for his side and with David Moyes set to splash the cash on much-needed reinforcements, Valencia could soon be left behind.
