What is causing Manchester United’s struggles at home?

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Manchester United supporters have been talking about how they are slowly getting their aura back under Jose Mourinho and they are certainly difficult to beat, as they haven’t lost in the league since October. Although they managed to maintain that record with one of the last kicks of the match against Everton, they still have a bad record at Old Trafford when they have conceded the first goal.

Since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, United have won only one in eleven after falling behind at home. During their peak, the Red Devils were excellent at coming from behind and had a knack for scoring late goals. They may have scored a late equaliser to maintain their unbeaten record on Tuesday, but it is still a concern that they struggle to get back into matches.

It is a worry that they have lost the fear factor and invincibility that they once possessed, but an even greater concern is their inability to turn their dominance into goals. This was their ninth draw at home this season and Jose Mourinho has consistently bemoaned their bad luck. Across those matches, they have attempted an incredible 172 shots and conceded only 61. To come out of these matches with only nine points is a huge concern and their home form is their only barrier to a Champions League place.

There will be a lot of debate about why Manchester United struggle to score more goals and earn the wins that they arguably deserve. The main reason is poor finishing on their part and that has decreased confidence of the attackers, which then leads to further misfiring in front of goal. It is becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy and their reliance on Zlatan Ibrahimovic grows on a weekly basis.

Another theme that has emerged from their home matches this season is that the opposition goalkeeper often plays out of their skin. It was evident once again on Tuesday as Joel Robles made several great stops to keep them out. The Spaniard was poor at the weekend against Liverpool, but he raised his game at Old Trafford and that is becoming a common sight for Manchester United supporters. It can be argued that if the attackers were good enough in front of goal then the goalkeeper is irrelevant, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t having an effect.

United are now four points behind the top four and it is looking increasingly unlikely that they will qualify for the Champions League domestically. They are only nine matches left to play and their home form shows no sign of improvement. Nine home draws is not good enough for any side in the Premier League, let alone one that has ambitions of challenging for the title. It is difficult to pinpoint why they have struggled to win matches at Old Trafford, but it is more than bad luck alone.

Their focus now needs to be on the Europa League as that offers the best route into the Champions League for the club. Before the end of the season, they have home matches against Chelsea, Swansea City and Crystal Palace. It is important that they fare much better in those games to ensure that they don’t carry their struggles at home into next season.

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