Manchester United's torrid run of form continued last night with a lacklustre 0-0 draw at home to Valencia. The team looked devoid of any ideas in attack, and rarely threatened a Valencia side that only have a solitary La Liga victory to their name this season.
A number of interesting narratives have emerged from the game, and one of the more compelling is related to Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean winger has been absolutely dreadful this season, yet to score in his six appearances so far.
Last night he failed to perform once again, reputedly giving up possession to the Spanish side. He clearly gave the ball away a lot, but exactly how often did it happen? Well, that answer varies wildly depending on your source.
The Guardian claim he give it away 16 times in his 76 minutes on the pitch, a high number but not all that disastrous for a creative player trying to make something happen.
But this figure is not one that is universally accepted.
The Sun believe he actually conceded possession 26 times, the stat that has been most widely shared on social media.
Other people have just taken the number and ran with it.
Alexis Sanchez gave the ball away 46 times tonight, that’s More than Santi Cazorla gave it away in 6 years with... https://t.co/BjTVN7pxzm
— /r/Gunners ⚽️ (@GunnersReddit) October 2, 2018
While it isn't clear which stat is actually correct, Opta have apparently said he gave it away 26 times, so that is most likely the right number. I'd like to think it was 66 though.
Regardless of the actual number, it is clear that he is currently out of sorts. As the highest paid player in English football, Sanchez was expected to be the catalyst for Manchester United this season.
He started life slowly at Old Trafford after his mid-season move from Arsenal, but many thought he would kick on this term. That has not been the case, and if he fails to return to form, it might coincide with Mourinho leaving the club.
