Opinion: Lingard Stats Are Misleading

ManUtd.com's Adam Marshall explains why he feels Jesse Lingard's work can be under-appreciated....

In the aftermath of the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, a graphic highlighting certain statistics from Jesse Lingard's performance appeared on Twitter.

It pointed out how he had failed to have a shot on target, create a chance, complete a 'take on' or provide a cross. In mitigation, Manchester United only had one shot on target and did not create many chances in the 3-0 loss. Furthermore, his central role was not exactly conducive to supplying crosses from the flanks or dribbling past opponents in an extremely congested area.

Stats can also be used to tell a variety of different stories. Opta's in-depth analysis of Lingard's display showed his worth in keeping possession, a key component of his job in the team. His 91.3 per cent pass-completion rate was the highest in the side. The data can be misleading as players can rack up a number of 'safe passes' and yet his 93.3 per cent figure in the opposition half shows this was not necessarily the case.

Again, it could be countered that the number of passes made must be taken into consideration and yet his tally of 46 was only marginally behind his colleagues who registered the most – Michael Carrick (50) and Morgan Schneiderlin (47) – and only Tottenham's Christian Eriksen managed more passes for Spurs, with his accuracy much lower at 60.2 per cent, even if he did supply a telling cross for Dele Alli's opener.

If data is to be used to try to make points and, more often than not in today's world, pick out scapegoats on the back of negative results, then it needs to be given context. Before Sunday's match against a team still chasing the title, Lingard has been in fine form and has become a key contributor in his first proper season in the Barclays Premier League.

He made more passes than any other Red against Everton, both overall and in the opposition half, and enjoyed a completion rate of 88.9 per cent. He covered the most ground in the matches with West Bromwich Albion, Manchester City and Spurs and was only narrowly behind Schneiderlin's distance run in the 1-0 win over Everton.

The 23-year-old made the most sprints in three of the last four outings and also clocked the fastest speed during the Toffees clash. All of this may not count for much, particularly when the only statistic that truly counts is the final scoreline at the end of the game, yet it suggests Lingard is fulfilling his role in the team, by working extremely hard and being very tidy in possession.

Some will argue that more is required of a no.10, even if this particular incarnation of the role may be a different one to the popular perception of a largely static playmaker shouldering a team's creative responsibility and being able to neglect any defensive duties as he focuses solely on making things happen in the final third.

For instance, Lingard's tactical discipline in the derby victory over City was one of the reasons why the Reds came out on top. His brief was to stay on the deepest midfielder, even when it rotated between Fernando and Fernandinho, and this helped disrupt the Blues' flow. It might not be as glamorous as smashing in a 30-yard drive or dribbling past five players but it ensured the game-plan, on that occasion, was successfully implemented.

Lingard is aware of his main stats – five goals and four assists – and analyses his performances like the rest of the squad in order to work on areas to improve. There is little doubt he is capable of building on his breakthrough campaign so it is confusing to see only the negative aspects of an individual performance highlighted in some quarters, following a day when United as a collective clearly failed to shine in the capital.

The late developer from Warrington is growing into his role; witness minute details like his standing within the 'boxes' sessions in the warm-ups or his willingness to rush to protect Marcus Rashford during the derby. Jesse Lingard has been brought up at United and is exactly the sort of character the club needs. It can only be hoped he is given that valuable commodity of time to flourish as he continues to mature and deal with the demands at the top level.

Those demands, thanks largely to social media, seem to be getting more instant and insatiable, which goes with the territory of pulling on the red shirt. But selective use of statistics or unnecessary scapegoating should not be allowed to cloud or misrepresent the overall picture, which is the fact that United have a homegrown, relatively local lad doing rather well on the whole. Perhaps that, however, is not a unanimously popular story on the back of a 3-0 defeat, when criticism is always going to be rife.

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and should not be considered as representative of Manchester United Football Club.

Credit: Manutd.com