It seems as though Big Sam was right all along – Louis van Gaal’s Man United do love a good HOOF!
The Mirror have put together a table of the teams that have gone route one the most so far this season, and although West Ham lead the pack, United aren’t far behind.
According to the stats West Ham have attempted 174 long balls – just three more than their closest rivals in the hoof stakes, Watford.
But United are way ahead of the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea – and even Stoke – in terms of launching it forward. They sit pretty in 7th with 123 long balls in five games.
Importantly, the figures do not include long passes and the numbers are based on balls ‘played into a zone’, and not towards a particular player.
Predictably, Arsenal play the least long balls in the league. The swots.
