The De Gea stat that proves Manchester United have fallen behind the times

There is no right or wrong way to play football, but there are increasingly common traits between the manner in which those with aspirations of winning silverware go about their business on the pitch.

There are of course exceptions to the unwritten rule, but dominance of possession and suffocation of an opponents’ time on the ball are trends among many of Europe’s elite. Nowadays it all starts from the goalkeeper too, where the need for ball-playing number ones has come to prevalence over recent years, and particularly in the Premier League since the arrival of Pep Guardiola.

The Spaniard immediately ostracised Joe Hart as he sought a last line of defence that could also play a role as the first point of attack. His replacement, Claudio Bravo, may not have fared well but the focus on passing out from the back, in the long term, has paid dividends and then some at Manchester City.

Others have followed suit, with Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal all signing new goalkeepers in the summer, placing importance on composure in possession. That too has had its benefits to now, with the current top five in the Premier League also the top five in terms of the pass accuracy of their goalkeepers.

Ederson boasts the best (85.1 per cent) for first placed Manchester City, followed by Kepa Arrazibalaga (81.1 per cent) of Chelsea, who sit second, and Alisson (80.3 per cent) of Liverpool, who are third - although all three are separated by goal difference alone. Arsenal and Tottenham, who have each used multiple goalkeepers, trade places in terms of league standing and goalkeeper pass accuracy but still complete the top five.

As for Manchester United, the remaining side from last season’s top six, the stats tell a different story.

It’s been a difficult season for David de Gea so far, who has become accustomed to being called upon far more often than some of his rivals towards the top of the Premier League. That, of course, is down to what is in front of him, and so too, it should be said, is a relatively abject pass accuracy of 55.3 per cent.

Almost 30 per cent down on that of Ederson, De Gea’s figure is only enough to rank ninth in the Premier League, which is one place below where United find themselves ahead of a trip to Chelsea. Leicester’s Kasper Schmeichel (65 per cent) ranks sixth - with the Foxes currently tenth - Fulham’s two keepers average out in seventh, with Asmir Begovic (59.8 per cent) in eighth for high-flying Bournemouth (sixth).

It’s a statistic that highlights United’s inadequacies against those they would hope to compete with at the top of the table, with De Gea’s accuracy falling year-on-year since Jose Mourinho’s first season at the club. However, the manager can’t take all of the blame.

Criticised for being less progressive than his counterparts in the way he sets up his side, there is certainly clear instruction not to try to play the short pass at all times, but for good reason. The Portuguese was desperate to bring in centre-backs that are more comfortable in possession than those at his disposal in the summer, and he may not be wrong to advise his keeper to bypass a defence that look terrified with the ball at feet at times.

There are plenty of issues on and off the field at Old Trafford right now, but as far as the former is concerned, the pass accuracy of their goalkeeper is telling in just how far they have fallen behind both their competition and the times.