Manchester United should keep Zlatan Ibrahimovic but reliance on striker needs to change

To put a positive spin on it, Manchester United extended their unbeaten run to 20 Premier League games on Tuesday. Jose Mourinho’s men have avoided defeat in the top flight since October, which is longer than not only each of their fellow top-six competitors but also Bayern Munich in Germany, Juventus in Italy, and Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain. The problem, though, is that United remain outside the Uefa Champions League places ahead of Sunday’s trip to Sunderland, with Mourinho admitting after the midweek draw with Everton that it will be “very difficult” for his side to finish in the top four. Another draw at Old Trafford was a disappointing outcome, but it could have been worse for United, whose equalising penalty came deep in second-half stoppage time. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the man to take the spot-kick on his return to the team following a three-match ban. The Swede converted to rescue a point for the hosts and increase his tally for the league season to 16, fewer than only Harry Kane, Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez and Diego Costa. __________________________________ Read more ■ Luis Suarez: An exceptional footballer but average pool player! ■ Predictions: Tottenham keep pace with leaders Chelsea ■ Theatre of Draws: Old Trafford losing its aura under Mourinho __________________________________ Ibrahimovic has been responsible for 37 per cent of United’s league goals this season. By way of comparison, Costa has netted 27 per cent of Chelsea’s, Kane has contributed 32 per cent of Tottenham’s, Sanchez has struck 30 per cent of Arsenal’s, Sadio Mane has provided 20 per cent of Liverpool’s, and Sergio Aguero has scored 26 per cent of Manchester City’s. Such statistics suggest that Mourinho should pull out all the stops to keep Ibrahimovic at Old Trafford next season. It is difficult to argue against that, but his manager also needs to find a way to lessen his team’s dependence on a man who turns 36 in October. Unlike Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool, City and Arsenal, United’s entire attacking strategy appears to be based around servicing their frontman. All teams strive to get the best out of their strikers, of course, but it should not come at the expense of threats emerging from elsewhere. To illustrate this, Ibrahimovic is averaging 4.3 shots per game this year. Kane’s equivalent figure is 3.1, while Costa (3.1), Sanchez (3.4) and Roberto Firmino (2.9) are also posting smaller figures. Only Aguero (4.3) can match the United man, but it is notable that Pep Guardiola favoured Gabriel Jesus (2) until injury struck. This issue has been particularly pertinent in the nine home draws that have plagued United’s campaign. Ibrahimovic has been guilty of spurning some huge opportunities in such matches — he has missed a league-high 17 chances in 2016/17, five more than second-placed Benik Afobe — and, when he is misfiring, United have often been unable to find another route to goal. Ibrahimovic is not as mobile as he once was, and tends to conserve his energy by operating in a reduced amount of space. His touch is still superb and he possesses the strength to hold off defenders, but most of his work these days is done in and around the penalty area. That is not a problem in itself — after all, the 18-yard box is where most managers want their strikers to be based — but it can result in United becoming predictable and one-dimensional. Their attempts to draw level against Everton were largely limited to launching crosses into the box, which Ronald Koeman’s team proved adept at repelling. Ibrahimovic has shown this season that he still has plenty left to offer, and his goalscoring record means United will look to keep him around. At the same time, though, Mourinho must find a way to reduce his side’s unhealthy reliance on him. Bilic not totally to blame for West Ham struggles West Ham manager Slaven Bilic. Facundo Arrizabalaga / EPA It is the turn of West Ham United to look nervously over their shoulders. Wednesday’s 3-0 defeat at Arsenal leaves Slaven Bilic’s team just five points clear of the drop zone, with 18th-placed Swansea City set to provide the opposition at London Stadium on Saturday afternoon. It has been a difficult campaign for West Ham and Bilic, who duly finds himself under pressure following a miserable sequence of seven matches without a win in the Premier League. Relegation still looks unlikely, but even if the club are able to survive, their manager may not. Bilic has certainly made mistakes this season and must take some responsibility for the team’s regression after last year’s seventh-place finish. Yet while there is nothing new in a manager bearing the brunt of the criticism for a club’s collective failings, it is hard not to sympathise with the Croatian given the turbulent nature of West Ham’s season. The move from Upton Park to London Stadium has brought with it more teething troubles than the owners seemed to anticipate, with many supporters unhappy at the decision to relocate to the home of the 2012 Olympic Games. That contributed to the formation of a negative atmosphere around the club, which was not helped by some poor recruitment last summer. West Ham spent over £50 million (Dh228m) — they had a higher net spend than all but Arsenal, Chelsea and the two Manchester clubs — on 10 new arrivals, none of whom can be deemed an unqualified success. On top of that, Bilic lost his best player in acrimonious circumstances in the January transfer window, as Dimitri Payet effectively went on strike to force through a mid-season return to Marseille. There are legitimate questions to be asked of the West Ham manager, but Bilic cannot be blamed for all of his side’s struggles this season. Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport

Manchester United should keep Zlatan Ibrahimovic but reliance on striker needs to change

In his Premier League column this week, Greg Lea looks at the importance of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Manchester United, which can at times be a detriment.