Key events
The problem United have (and always have had under Ten Hag) is a lack of control. Højlund's play is unlikely to help them retain possession, while the wide players concentrate on going towards goal, as does Bruno Fernandes behind them. This may or may not lead to spamming hopeful passes to anyone…
Otherwise, United will opt for the wide players deployed to exploit Spurs' top line last weekend. Maybe their starting positions are conducive to that tactic (Rashford in particular was too deep and too wide) and maybe that's not the sum of the strategy as it seemed to be then. But with Højlund preferred to Zirkzee, United are likely to hope to target Villa in a similar way, because all of their forward three like space in behind.
As shown below, the big news for United is the omission of Martínez and De Ligt. However, the idea that they haven't been eliminated is hard to believe given how poorly both are playing, and one question that might be asked is whether the latter's recklessness is exacerbating the former's failings. Either way, Ten Hag has swapped two young (more or less) centre-backs without rhythm for two older centre-backs without rhythm, against a very talented team and, let's face it, the selection smacks of a coach hoping to force a one-off result and endure, rather than building for the future according to their instructions.
Ten Hag tells Sky that he is rotating, hence the defensive changes, saying it has nothing to do with outside pressure. He believes that his players are ready for the game and that everyone at the club is calm and collected; They just have to improve their process.
Villa will play as always, But he will especially miss Onana's presence in midfield, especially given United's weakness in defending set pieces. Konsa, meanwhile, is not as prepared to combat Rasmus Højlund's physical threat as Diego Carlos, and I wouldn't be surprised if United target him.
Erik ten Hag makes four changes: Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martínez, Casemiro and Amad are left out, with Jonny Evans, Harry Maguire, Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho entering.
Unai Emery makes three changes from the team that memorably beat Bayern in midweek: Diego Carlos, Amadou Onana and Jacob Ramsey are down, the latter two absent from the squad due to injury; They are replaced by Matty Cash, Ross Bailey and Leon Bailey, with Ezri Konsa moving from right back to centre-back.
Let's have some equipment…
Aston Villa (4-4-1-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Pau Torres, Digne; Philogene, Barkley, Tielemans, Bailey; Rogers; Watkins. Substitutes: Gauci, Nedeljkovic, Maatsen, Carlos, Bogarde, Swinkels, Buendía, Young, Durán.
United Man (4-3-3): Onana; Mazraoui, Maguire, Evans, Dalot; Eriksen, Mainoo, Fernandes; Grenache, Højlund, Rashford. Substitutes: Bayindir, De Ligt, Lindelof, Martínez, Casemiro, Ugarte, Amad, Antony, Zirkzee.
Referee: Rob Jones (Merseyside)
Preamble
In real life it is considered bad manners to enjoy the misfortunes of others, but fortunately we have football to redeem ourselves from those misfortunes. I woke up nonsense. And, for the past decade, there has been no more reliable source of that pleasure than manchester unitedso now we're all experts on what it looks like when your last manager finishes.
For David Moyes, it was Everton's absence in April 2014, a period of wholly predictable ineptitude crystallized in as terrible a display as could be imagined and the Goodison crowd chanting “Stuck with Moyes, Stuck with Moyes Man United”. He was fired the next day.
Next up was Louis van Gaal and football so bad it left everyone who witnessed it with scarred eyes and a burned soul. His regime collapsed on Boxing Day 2015 through humiliation at Stoke and a performance of earth-shattering horror that ensured a third successive defeat; the other two were against powerhouses Bournemouth and Norwich. He was sacked just over five months later, the day after lifting the FA Cup.
So José Mourinho committed and, with his otherworldly magic now consumed by pubescent paranoia, the end became clear in August 2018 when Ed Woodward endorsed his own footballing acumen over that of an undisputed all-time great , and then bragged about it to the press. But it was not until five months later that events on the pitch made a dismissal essential with an unseemly defeat at Anfield. He was fired the next day.
The match that should have marked the demise of Ole Gunnar Solskjær was a 4-2 defeat at Leicester in October 2021, with their defense conceding goals faster than their attack could score them. He was sacked just over a month later, and allowed to sneak in the parting gifts of a 5-0 home thrashing of Liverpool, a home derby win over Manchester City and a 4-1 disastrous at Watford before accept your carriage clock.
What unites these multiple incompetences, travesties and debacles is the absence of hope: before them, there was a little, after them there was none. Which brings us to the beleaguered Erik ten Hag.M.T.the most supported management of the post-Fergie Wilderness yearsM.T. but in whom it became more impossible than implausible to believe after last Sunday's abomination against the Spurs. Although he survived to preside over a second successive midweek mess, he must now fear that, regardless of what happens today, the impending international break will spell the end.
You will also not find Villa Aston accommodate opponents. Unai Emery's team is much of what Ten Hag's is not: a collection of excellent individuals skillfully forged into a coherent, physical, unhelpful unit that accentuates strengths and minimizes weaknesses. Before you see them play you know what you're going to see, after you see them play you're glad you saw it, and they come into this game having beaten Bayern Munich and then enjoyed one more day of rest than their opponents. They also owe United as they lost twice last season (first in embarrassing and then devastating circumstances) and need to keep up with the league leaders. You will like this.
All of which should make for an entertaining afternoon, but perhaps not for the almost current Manchester United manager.
Start: 2pm BST
