Owen aids Reds' scoring threat
United could score more goals with Owen Hargreaves in the team,
thats the claim of an independent football
statistician.
Hargreaves, who arrived at Old Trafford earlier this month after a
year-long chase to sign the midfielder from Bayern Munich, is seen
as a defensive midfielder.
But the 26-year-olds tireless box-to-box work, breaking up play
and releasing the ball to Uniteds attacking players, could glean
more goals in a side that struck a staggering 123 goals in all
competitions last season.
Hargreaves will be deployed as a deep-lying player with energy to
get up and down and provide protection for the defence, Steve
McCormack, of statbunker.com, told the Manchester Evening
News.
But the other benefits will be for the likes of Scholes and
Carrick. It could help to push Scholes further forward in a role he
used to be so effective in.
Without Keane, Scholes goal touch has diminished. He had time out
with the eye injury but his goal figures for the last two seasons
were the worst back-to-back campaigns hes had in terms of goals
since he first broke into the team. In the last two campaigns his
ratio has been a goal every 6.25 games compared to his previous
average of a goal every 3.68 games.
"Hargreaves playing deep and protecting the defence could allow
Scholes more freedom and see that average rise again. The same with
Carrick whose strike rate is a goal every 17.17 matches.
"Owen isnt a prolific goalscorer but he does free up other
players. Take Michael Ballack. When he was at Bayern Munich, he
scored 43 times in the four seasons he played with the England
midfielder.