Manchester United fail to ease Erik ten Hag's strain with an inexpressive 0-0 draw at Aston Villa.

Dan Ashworth and Omar Berrada could hardly have asked for better news as they consider how best to respond to an under-performing manager. This performance, both results, were extremely useful to them in making informed decisions moving forward with regard to him. What was supposed to be Erik Ten Hag’s worst week has ended in two contested away draws that neither force the hand of Manchester United’s hierarchy, nor offer an irrefutable trigger point that compels change. Did Manchester United organize themselves well as they held strong at Villa Park to claim a 0-0 tie? But that didn’t feel the case at all – our visitors proved more than capable off the ball. Victor Lindelof deserves credit for how quickly he settled into his task following first-half concerns involving Noussair Mazraoui and Harry Maguire; Matthijs De Light’s attempts at clearing were less effective due to extra-time efforts at clearing. Ten Hag’s men often found themselves playing catch up, waiting for an opportunity to counterpunch but hoping the knockout blow wouldn’t arrive.It almost did when Jaden Philogene received a cross from the left that went straight through to Jaden Philogene who unleashed a powerful shot into Diogo Dalot from behind the line. Given United’s considerations in keeping Ten Hag because he won FA Cup back in May, one block might exert significant sway on their decisions over this international break. If that were to occur, that would be an extraordinary mistake for United. They won’t return up the M6 with anything to show for it but simply because Villa were emotionally and physically exhausted after beating Bayern Munich. With stronger performances from Ollie Watkins or Morgan Rogers, this game would not have been competitive. Unai Emery’s men weren’t exactly easy pickings but that speaks volumes about both United’s decline and Midlands side’s progress – they found a point an achievement for themselves!
As play progressed, United was seemingly bereft of ideas on how to break Villa apart in controlled play. Alejandro Garnacho may come under scrutiny for failing to hit a final pass when his side broke away, yet these types of attacks can be tough for any player to carry out effectively; they cannot become your mainstay of offense. Bruno Fernandes has always been known for taking risks with possession to find openings for attack. Prior to this season, Portuguese international Nuno Gomes more than justified his gambling spirit with consistent results. Furthermore, no clear signs have emerged in regards to non-penalty expected goals and expected assists this season. Fernandes appears increasingly frustrated as his recent string of red cards only deepen his sense of indignation. United’s closest encounter came via his curling free kick and Marcus Rashford’s long-range shot that Emiliano Martinez deftly deflected onto the crossbar by tipping. Rashford especially is often defined by decisive moments such as this. This time around, Rasmus Hojlund may have had glorious performances but was very fortunate in not taking action against Leon Bailey after Villa winger had got away. That action had far greater of an effect than Rasmus Hojlund or Joshua Zirkzee combined; without even one shot between them in 90 minutes!
They, Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo may form the cornerstones of Ten Hag’s “project”, which was referenced again following Sunday’s game. He may well be correct that United will require time before seeing progress made – would you trust Ten Hag with providing medicine to them? Manchester United remain on their worst start ever to a Premier League campaign after seven games; even with their success against Middlesbrough last night. At first glance, our metrics may not appear quite as alarming compared with those at the end of last season, yet not being one of Europe’s worst five league defenses is certainly no cause for celebration at Stretford End. But there’s another factor at work here. When considering our overall performance vs that of rival teams such as Arsenal or Chelsea (amongst many others). Through two seasons and seven games, England’s 20-time champions boasted an 11 goal difference, scoring as many goals as Fulham but less than Brentford. Just look at Aston Villa – when they should be competing with Manchester City and Liverpool for top four, holding both teams to just 0.11 goals from open play for an entire game against them could prove that Ten Hag’s scoring issues are being resolved! At great expense, Ten Hag has assembled his substitutes bench. Much more will need to be spent unpicking this squad which seems so far removed from United’s goal of winning a league championship by 2028. Although this drab goalless draw may not have marked the breaking point that led to change within Old Trafford dugout, its ineffective performance offered no compelling argument to continue using an evidently failing formula; its failure even to test Villa enough shows just how far United falls below minimum standards at present.
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