Manchester United have been under a lot of pressure after a run of four games without a win. Facing Aston Villa, who are in good form, Erik ten Hag and his players have tried very hard to keep a point. Ten Hag can now rest assured because if he loses one of the last two matches, the possibility of being fired is very high.
Against Aston Villa, who had just beaten Bayern Munich at Villa Park, United did so with determination and organisation, showing that the players still had faith in Ten Hag. There were some strange choices in the starting line-up, such as starting Jonny Evans instead of De Ligt, Martinez or Lindelof. However, it was the Irishman who was the best player.
Compared to the usual chaos, this time it looked like a more planned performance from Ten Hag and his students. Man United defended in a traditional 4-4-2 formation. They showed pragmatism and patience as their back line barely pushed up and just waited for counter-attacks.
"We had good organization and team spirit. The players played according to the tactics and showed determination and perseverance. In particular, the defense played with concentration, giving the opponent almost no chance" - Erik ten Hag shared.
United’s starting line-up left many doubts after the recent high-profile transfer window. The bench was worth nearly £350m; seven of them were Ten Hag signings. The list included Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt. Both were left out when the 54-year-old decided to use centre-back duo Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans.
After conceding three goals each against Tottenham and Porto, Man United successfully blocked Aston Villa's attack with just one shot on target. Guns like Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran were powerless to put the ball in Andre Onana's net.
Aston Villa's ineffectiveness was severely affected by the energy they expended against Bayern Munich. Unai Emery's side lacked their usual sharpness and intensity. Villa also lost Amadou Onana in midweek and Ezri Konsa in the opening minutes through injury.
Meanwhile, Man United had to "sacrifice" Marcus Rashford in the middle of the match. The English star received a yellow card and had a dangerous foul on Leon Bailey. To avoid having to play with one less player for the third time in a row, Ten Hag did not take any more risks.
The draw against Aston Villa is a temporary acceptable result for Man United when they are going through the most difficult period under Erik ten Hag. In the current situation, the first goal of the "Red Devils" is to avoid embarrassing defeats like the 0-3 loss to Tottenham at Old Trafford. They have 2 weeks to stabilize the team. This is also an opportunity for Ten Hag himself to improve his playing style when the shadow of dismissal is still present.
