Monday 26 November 2018 18:38, UK
Manchester United have made their worst start to a season in 28 years and Jose Mourinho's side have scored only eight goals in eight Premier League games at Old Trafford.
Saturday's goalless draw at home against Crystal Palace means United are 14 points behind leaders Manchester City.
Since the start of the season, the only teams they have beaten in the league have been Leicester, Burnley, Watford, Newcastle, Everton and Bournemouth. In that time, they have lost to Brighton, Tottenham, West Ham and Manchester City.
After a third of the season, United have a minus goalless difference for the first time since 1977. That season they ended up finishing 10th under Dave Sexton with a goal difference of +4.
So, is it all doom and gloom for United? Just how bad has 2018 been for them?
This is United's 2018 record in all competitions:
Played: 43
Won: 25
Drawn: 7
Lost: 11
Most of the highs were last season when United finished second. There were memorable come-from-behind wins against Manchester City and Chelsea as well as victories over Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal.
The most memorable result this season has been the 2-1 win at Juventus in the Champions League thanks to two late goals.
There have been some real low points. United lost at home to West Brom in April and they have been beaten twice by Brighton. They have also been second best twice against Spurs and lost 1-0 in the FA Cup final to Chelsea.
They were woeful when losing 3-1 at West Ham in September and earlier this month they managed just one shot on target (an Anthony Martial penalty) when they lost 3-1 at Manchester City.
Mourinho has been criticised for United's results and performances and results this season. Inevitably, his overall record as United manager is not as good Sir Alex Ferguson. But it is better than other United managers in the post-Ferguson era.
Premier League win percentage
Sir Alex Ferguson: 65 per cent
Jose Mourinho: 55 per cent
Louis van Gaal: 51 per cent
David Moyes: 50 per cent
Average Premier League goals per game
Sir Alex Ferguson: 2
David Moyes: 1.65
Jose Mourinho: 1.6
Louis Van Gaal: 1.46
Under Mourinho, United have won the Europa League and the EFL Cup. United's style of play has been criticised by fans and former players but his methods have been hugely successful since he won the title with Porto in 2003.
Mourinho's made no secret of his unhappiness in the transfer market last summer, but United's hierarchy believe they have backed their manager in the five windows he has been at the club. Mourinho has spent more than £400m on 11 players since he arrived at United in the summer of 2016. His signings are:
Eric Bailly £30m
Henrikh Mkhitaryan £26.3m
Paul Pogba £93.25m
Romelu Lukaku £90m
Nemanja Matic £40m
Alexis Sanchez swap
Victor Lindelof £39.5m
Lee Grant £1.5m
Fred £61.2m
Diogo Dalot £19m
Zlatan Ibrahimovic free
Total £400.75m
Whatever happens this season, it will be a summer of change at Old Trafford next year. 10 first-team squad players will be out of contract and some of Europe's biggest clubs have been alerted to the potential availability of players such as David de Gea and Martial.
It is not just on the pitch that United have been having problems this season. £300m was wiped off the club's value on the New York Stock Exchange last week.
Analysts attributed the drop in share price to a volatile market and a decline in similar stocks. This year United's share price has fallen from a high of $27.70 in August to $19.06 today.
United's calendar year has been punctuated with a series of low points on and off the pitch but Mourinho can still, for the time being, point to some signs of progress following the post-Sir Alex decline.
