In the past year, Harry Maguire has been on the bench at MU due to coach Erik Ten Hag’s preference for the central defense pairing of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez. Even when Lisandro was injured, there were times when Ten Hag played Luke Shaw as a left-back. However, Shaw and Lisandro were in the hospital this season, giving Maguire an opportunity.
A week ago, Maguire was ridiculed by some on the internet when he claimed to have a “hilariously high winning rate” in a MU shirt during a press conference with the England national team. It’s all laughs, but Maguire wasn’t wrong; his statistics in the past year prove that.
After the victory against Sheffield United last Saturday, MU has won 15 out of 16 matches that Maguire has started (emphasis on starting, not coming off the bench) in the past year, which is a winning rate of 93.75%, with an average of 0.7 goals conceded per match. In contrast, MU without Maguire starting has won 22, drawn 7, and lost 13 out of 42 games, with a winning rate of 54% and an average of 1.3 goals conceded per match.
The winning rate of MU when Maguire doesn’t start isn’t too bad, but in comparison to MU’s winning rate when Maguire does start, consider the context of this statistic. Many people may think that Maguire’s stats are good because he plays fewer matches and often faces weaker opponents. To some extent, this is true since many of the matches Maguire started were in cup competitions.
The opponents that Maguire has faced with MU when starting in the past year include Real Betis, West Ham (2 times), Bournemouth, Leeds, Everton, Nottingham Forest, Fulham (2 times), Reading, Aston Villa, Charlton, Crystal Palace, and Sevilla (MU lost to Sevilla). Sevilla and Real Betis were in the Europa League, Reading and Charlton were lower-tier teams, and the rest were in the Premier League, with Aston Villa competing for a European spot in the previous season.
None of these teams belong to the “Big 7” of England or the top teams in Europe, so it’s difficult to argue that Maguire deserves to start based on what has been shown. However, a win is a win, and there are no easy opponents in the Premier League. Real Betis finished in the top 6 of La Liga last season. Every season is a marathon race, and every match carries essential points.
Based on what has happened this year, it’s also not sure that MU’s current central defensive pairing is good enough to face strong teams. This season, Lisandro has been in three defeats to Tottenham, Arsenal, and Brighton before his injury, while Varane played poorly in the comeback loss to Galatasaray. Earlier this year, these two defenders were present in the 0-7 loss to Liverpool, the 0-2 loss to Newcastle, and the 0-3 loss to Arsenal, and it’s worth noting that this was before they started experiencing frequent injuries.
Maguire may not be the best central defender at MU, but he’s not useless and shouldn’t be considered a mistake on the field. At a time when MU is searching for the best central defensive pairing in terms of quality and physical durability, Maguire at least serves a purpose when called upon. Notably, he continues to contribute to the team after losing the captain’s armband and doesn’t cause internal disruptions, which is undoubtedly pleasing to coach Ten Hag.
