Erik ten Hag has started to look like a manager fighting for his future in recent weeks. He was stung by the criticism aimed in his direction after Manchester United's stark collapse against Coventry City and has come out swinging, but the list of excuses has been growing as well.
Nobody can dispute that an injury record that almost defies belief this season has forced Ten Hag to work with one hand tied behind his back. It is his complaints about marginal refereeing calls and misfortune that aren't stacking up quite as well.
But while the pressure is clearly growing on the Dutchman, there are positives he can point to beyond reaching the FA Cup final and tenuous claims about what a "huge achievement" that is, when the achievement for a club like Manchester United is in winning the final, not just measuring up for the Wembley suits.
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There are areas Ten Hag has to improve on if he is to get a third season in charge at Old Trafford. United's midfield has been chaotically open all season and the demands of playing a low block and continuing to try and press high has left acres of space for the opposition to enjoy.
He also needs to stop his team from throwing away leads and collapsing in games, but the last four months have also brought about an improvement in front of goal. United have now scored in 20 successive matches in all competitions and that is the best run of the Ten Hag era.
Only once has that streak been bettered, when they scored in 22 successive games between November 10, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Crucially, only one of those ended in defeat and 18 ended in wins.
United scored 49 goals in those 22 games and have netted 47 times in their 20-game scoring run dating back to Boxing Day this season. But of those 20 matches, only 11 have been won without the need for penalties and four have ended up in defeat.
There are caveats, of course, around the quality of opposition faced and the absence of European games, but United's 47 goals in 20 games is level with Manchester City's return in their last 20 games and one better than Arsenal and Liverpool. This is a team that is starting to score goals more frequently.
That is a base Ten Hag should be insisting he can work from. While last season the goalscoring burden centred around Marcus Rashford's 30-goal campaign, now three players are in double figures and five have eight goals or more. Only two players hit double figures last term and only one four scored at least eight goals.
If that is an improvement, then the real issue is with the number of goals United are conceding. As much as Ten Hag tries to claim the high shot count against his team isn't an area for concern, the stats tell a different story. For all the improvement in front of goal, it won't translate into results until a better balance can be struck.
No area of the pitch has been as badly impacted by injuries as defence this season, but United remain far too open. On five occasions this season they have scored three goals and not won the game, which is an incredible record. That is five of 14 games in which they have scored three or more that haven't ended as wins.
To put it into context, Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool have scored three or more in a combined 63 games this season and have won 60 of them. That is the kind of ratio required to challenge for trophies.
How you view United's record will depend on how you view Ten Hag. The improving goalscoring record is a source of hope and a reason that the glass is half full, or the fact it isn't translating into enough wins is proof that his time is up and the glass is actually half empty.
For Ten Hag, he should be using it to try and build a body of evidence that he deserves more time, rather than picking fights in press conferences and claiming every marginal decision all season should have gone United's way.
