On average, United are now making almost 80 fewer passes per game than in Ferguson’s final season in charge last term. In 20 games last season, United made a total of 11,094 passes, but the ball is now doing much less work, with the average number of passes per game dropping from 554 to 485. In the final third of the pitch, Moyes’s team have made 3,012 passes this season compared to 3,342 at this stage a year ago. More worryingly, United’s pass completion becomes even worse in the final third, with last season’s success rate of 76.8 per cent dropping to 71.7 per cent.