SEBA ON THE SLIDE
Opta have split Veron's Premiership campaign in half, comparing his first nine league outings for the champions with the latest nine and the findings are pretty conclusive.
England's France 98 tormentor has been performing worse in every major category Opta monitor over the latter period, which is ironic considering his side's vast improvement in the last seven matches in particular.
When he first arrived at Old Trafford, British football's most expensive protagonist ever oozed the kind of class that had first attracted Sir Alex Ferguson to him. Veron netted three times in his first seven starts for United and his first nine matches garnered four goals in total. His eye for goal surprised some, given that he is perhaps better known for his ability to create openings for others rather than for himself, but he still laid on one other goal for colleagues during that period.
But in the ensuing nine appearances in the league, Veron has neither scored nor assisted a single United strike, and he is now averaging one shot on target every 94 minutes - below his previous average. This can be attributed in part to his dwindling shooting accuracy, while a dip in his pass completion rate will have contributed to his lack of assists.
The confidence of the former Lazio man has perhaps begun to suffer as he struggles to recapture the kind of form that has made him much-admired across the globe over the last few years. His delivery into the box has wavered, falling from a decent 33% of all crosses and corners finding their target in his opening nine outings to a below-average 29% in the following nine. And Veron's ability to take his man on has also taken a knock. The 'Little Witch' has only managed to conjure up a 76% dribble and run success rate in his last nine Premiership matches - 12 percentage points below his previous ratio.
Certainly there is no questioning the abilities of the man who Opta rated as the most effective player of World Cup 98, but Opta's evidence tends to suggest that right now he is not playing to his full potential and is certainly not living up to his fledgling performances in a United shirt. Whether the trend continues for the rest of the season remains to be seen, but England fans rubbing their hands in glee at Veron's current slump should guard against thinking that it will continue into the summer.
