Manchester United drew 0-0, and Aston Villa went into the international break with improved performance from a restructured team with the departure of manager Erik ten Hag.
The Dutchman was under pressure heading into this game after the Europa League 3-3 draw with Porto earlier in the week, dropping Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martínez, and dropping Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire. was introduced.
However, Maguire, who scored the equalizer in the closing stages of that game, was forced off with an injury at half-time and was replaced by De Ligt as the team held on for a close game.
The result leaves United 14th in the Premier League table, with Villa fifth.
Here, writers Karl Anka and Mark Critchley break down the key moments of the match.
What was United’s game plan?
It is unusual for a Premier League manager to face questions about the style of football he intends to play after more than two seasons in charge.
Erik ten Hag looked to give some answers in the first half at Villa Park. The United manager rolled the dice and boldly started Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire as a centre-back duo. Eagle-eyed sleuths eventually noticed that this line-up had many similarities to the team that beat Villa 3-2 on Boxing Day last year, but as United kicked off, Ten Hag It became clear that things had changed.
Diogo Dalot played most of the first half as a left-back, playing high and wide. Instead of flipping into central midfield to help in the build-up play, as in recent weeks. This was an encouragement to forward Marcus Rashford as the pair looked to break through Villa’s high defensive line.
United managed to retain possession consistently in the first half, circulating the ball in deeper areas and finding the best angle to attack their speedy front three directly.
However, a combination of Bruno Fernandes’ poorly weighted passes and Rasmus Højlund’s poor hold-up play meant things went awry.
Karl Anka
Executor Evans
Ten Hag claimed that the use of Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans was purely for “rotation” purposes, but he is not normally the type to chop and substitute in the center of defense – especially in a game like this. .
It’s more likely that Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt were left out after a tough night at Dragao, with Ten Hag simply defending his partnership with his first-choice centre-back in his pre-match comments.
But then Maguire and Evans were better suited to the conservative approach United took anyway, sitting in a low block and tasked with doing the defensive basics on the edge of their own box. no doubt. Both players put in a good performance, especially Evans, who was named Man of the Match, making several tackles in the first half.
Interestingly, when Maguire was forced off injured, it was De Ligt who replaced him. As you might have guessed, one of the centre-backs on the right side was replaced by another. However, rather than Dalo switching sides and Martínez slotting in at left-back, the less prominent Victor Lindelof was also preferred at right-back in place of Nouser Mazraoui.
This was interesting considering Ten Hag blamed much of last season’s difficulties on Martinez’s long game. Normally an integral part of how United want to play, this is a rare example of Ten Hag overlooking perhaps his most trusted deputy at a time of need, and perhaps the United manager has given up on his job. It was the clearest sign yet that he knew he had to think differently to save the world.
mark critchley
rush rashford
United’s players and staff appeared to be unhappy with referee Rob Jones’ decision in the final minutes of the first half when United received three yellow cards while Villa were given the same offense.
However, as is often said, throughout the season, and in some cases throughout a game, things have been balanced and Rashford was a bit lucky not to have been sent off in the second half.
In the 59th minute, he cornered Matty Cash on the touchline and was fouled to deny him a fightback. It was a soft booking, but three minutes later he ironically tripped Leon Bailey on the edge of United’s penalty area.
Villa players and fans were furious that he was not picked for the second time. Bruno Fernandes spoke to the referee and Ten Hag had to pull Rashford away from the fourth official to keep him on the pitch.
He won’t stay for long. Ten Hag felt they had little choice but to replace Rashford immediately after. Considering Fernandes has been shown a string of red cards over the past week, this wasn’t a wise move, and United were left without the player who had been their most dangerous counter-attacking outlet in the last 30 minutes. It meant that there was.
mark critchley
What does this result mean?
United drew 3-3 with Porto and was described as “great entertainment for a neutral venue”. Sunday’s slightly improved performance probably bored anyone who tuned in to watch.
Ten Hag’s side had failed to score in three of their last four Premier League games before facing Villa. Apart from a shot saved by Marcus Rashford in the first half and a Bruno Fernandes free-kick that crashed into the crates in the second half, they posed little threat.
One of the problems with the team’s “suck it up and hit it from a distance” approach was with its forward assortment. Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hjølund all struggled to contain the ball in the final third, and with no hook to stop the attack, things became amorphous.
The introduction of Joshua Zirkzee and Anthony in the 64th minute made little difference. However, although United reduced the number of critical mistakes that led to their recent defeats, they still failed to show enough effort, skill and belief (delete as you like) to win convincing matches. I had a hard time. They have only scored 5 goals in league games this season. As an aspect of their ambition, it is never enough.
The one point has stopped some of the bleeding, but after seven games their points total is one of their lowest ever and they remain in the bottom half of the league table. The match was also attended by INEOS club executives, with a match between Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Sir Dave Brailsford, Omar Berada, Dan Ashworth, Jason Wilcox and Joel Glazer on Tuesday. A meeting is scheduled to take place.
For United Airlines to be successful in 2024-2025, all parties will need to find better solutions to a myriad of long-standing problems.
Karl Anka
What did Tembabaa say?
Asked whether he had spoken to club executives, the Dutchman told Sky Sports: “We talk all the time. We talk every week. We’re all on one page together. We know where we’re working towards. This is a long-term It’s a big project and we need to keep improving the process.”
Regarding the match, he added: “I think it’s our fourth clean sheet this season. You can see we had very good organization and cohesion. We had good character and good spirit as a team. We were determined and It’s hard to hit.”
What’s next for Aston Villa?
Saturday October 19: Fulham (A), Premier League, 3pm UK, 10am ET
What’s next for Manchester United?
Saturday 19 October: Brentford (H), Premier League, 3pm UK, 10am ET
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(Top photo: Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)