Premier League: Why Manchester United have drawn so many games under Jose Mourinho

Manchester United hasn't lost a match in the Premier League since their 4-0 drubbing against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on October 23, 2016. However in that unbeaten streak, they've also managed to draw more matches than any other team except Middlesbrough who are 19th in the table .

They have remained unbeaten in 21 Premier League games but have drawn 10 of them making it the most unproductive streak for an unbeaten team in Premier League history. Interestingly, it is also Manchester United who holds the record for the most productive unbeaten streak with a win % of 85.7 in their 21-game run from December 2002 to August 2003, winning 18 and drawing only three.

It's April 16, and now United once again face Chelsea in the return fixture at Old Trafford. Meanwhile, Chelsea is on the verge of clinching the Championship and United are in their familiar sixth position, hoping to break into the top 4. 

Jose Mourinho is a master tactician but he seems to have been at his wit's end to return his side to winning tracks after another disappointing draw against Anderlecht in the Europa league in Brussels. United was leading the game until the dying embers, when suddenly a lapse in concentration allowed Leander Dendoncker to find the leveller which puts the onus on the Red Devils at Old Trafford. 

United is being plagued by multi-pronged problems and there is no single remedy to their unending epidemic. United's attack lacks that lethal potency which has faltered multiple times against a determined defence, thanks to their non-clinical finishing. 

Their last Premier League draw came against Everton, where they took 18 shots but had to wait till the 92nd minute when Zlatan Ibrahimovic converted a spot kick after Ashley Williams handed the ball during the course of a panicky clearance. Not only did Ibrahimovic waste clear-cut opportunities, Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rojo missed chances where a schoolboy would have found the net. 

According to Opta,  United have taken 517 shots but have managed to convert a meagre 46 goals. United have a throw away conversion rate and Opta tells us that out of 64 clear-cut openings, they have scored on 20 occasions. They have drawn the most at Old Trafford where visiting teams generally dig in deep and their goalkeepers are extra motivated to perform at the hallowed Theatre of Dreams. United were held to a goal-less draw against Burnley despite attempting 38 shots on goal, when Tom Heaton decided to play the game of his life against his former employers. 

Ibrahimovic continues to fire with his tongue, but half of that productive rate would have found United comfortably placed in the top four. He has missed 19 clear-cut chances, leagues ahead of Afobe who sits second with 12. It is unfathomable, how a club boasting of one of the most fiery attacking lines has no other player other than Ibra with 10 more goals at this stage of the season. 

Pogba has found the net only four times and has hit the woodwork a staggering nine times in all competitions. United, on the other hand, sits atop the woodwork chart with 27 strikes this season, closely followed by Manchester City with 25. United have hit the post in crunch times and have been denied a winning goal on seven occasions. If those had gone in, Mourinho's side would have been just a point behind Chelsea. 

The Fellaini-Ander Herrera-Pogba trio in midfield is still taking time to settle down and understand their linkage with the attacking line. Therefore, although they are creating chances with defence-splitting through balls, most of the time either the ball is too early or at other times they are holding the ball longer than they should. 

A 36-year old Carrick is still the linchpin of United's midfield, who has already been described as "phenomenal" by Mourinho. Against Anderlecht, his 60 yard long ball to Marcus Rashord was as direct as an arrow and he finished nine long range passes out of nine. His pass completion rate was an overwhelming 95.6% and played the game to perfection by positioning himself as a defensive screen in front of Rojo and Eric Baily, absorbing much of the fury of Anderlecht strikers. That United are still so dependent on Carrick after heavily spending in the summer is more an indictment of those who joined Old Trafford than the 36-year-old, who for all his genius, is in the last throes of his career. 

Mourinho without a doubt will try to stop Conte's Chelsea from achieving a league double, but will be wary that fielding the best side in a tie which can be at best termed as a 'worthy inconvenience' given their do-or-die clash midweek in the Europa League. If United finish out of the top four, then their hopes of hosting UEFA Champions League matches will suffer a horrid death. It is more likely because they still have visits left to Arsenal, cross-town rivals Manchester City and Tottenham. But, if they can conquer Europa League then they can participate in Europe's elite club competition automatically just as Sevilla did this season even after finishing seventh in the La Liga.

However, if they fail to finish in the top four, it will be considered another disappointing season for Manchester United fans who had taken their position at the top of the table for granted.