Valencia not pulling his weight

Is Valencia about to create a goal? No. (via)

Antonio Valencia was highly praised after his performance against Bayer Leverkusen and there were some moments on Sunday against Spurs when he beat defenders with power and pace. But he did not actually create anything. He may have scored a tap in against the German team but he didn't create a single chance for anyone else. He is not performing the primary function of a winger; create chances. 

The same was true against Tottenham. Valencia beat his man Vertonghen on numerous occasions in the first half, once even finding himself sprinting unopposed into the area. Was there a Ronaldo/Bale style drive at goal? No. Did he cut it back to the United players arriving on the edge of the area? No. Did he put the ball across the goal for a striker to run onto? NO! He just stopped, allowed the defenders to regain position, then passed them the ball. This happened time and again during the match, during the last two seasons if we're honest. Valencia looks like he views a crossing opportunity as a chance to give the ball back to the opposition. There is little speed of thought on display in his performances, he rarely finds a teammate in the area, and winning a corner or throw seems to be good enough for him. It's as if he thinks he is playing rugby with his role being to gain territory rather than create goals. 

Worryingly for Manchester United, and one of the reasons they are struggling, is that Valencia's performances are echoed by all of their wide men and central midfielders, none of them are creating goals. Out of the two goals scored against Spurs, one was a penalty the other a defensive error. Against Leverkusen, it was Rooney who got four assists. The team are hiding behind Wayne Rooney, leaving everything up to him while they themselves offer no creativity, no direction. Is this lack of form due to a lack of confidence and trust in their ability or is it that they simply lack ability. Unfortunately for United, with many of their players, I think it is the latter.