This Sunday, Manchester United will play their 7th day against Aston Villa. In bad shape since the start of the season, the Red Devils are buried in the depths of the championship while the Villans are prance in the top 5. Yet another defeat would be the fatal blow to Erik ten Hag who can no longer find the solution.
“We want to get Manchester United back to where they should be, and they’re not there yet, that’s very clear“, recently expressed Jim Ratcliffe. The majority shareholder of the Mancunian club tried to hide his opinion on the issue Erik ten Hagbut ended up implying what everyone is thinking. Without a major and resounding victory in the coming days, the future of the Dutch coach is murky. But the draw acquired against Porto in the Europa League was encouraging and could allow the Red Devils to believe in their lucky star – especially against Aston Villathis Thursday.
A triumph for victory and honor
Since the start of the season, the men ofUnai Emery reaffirm their ambitions. With Europe in their sights for next year, and the Europa League this year, they continue to prove their worth. Conversely, United continues to decline and has only two victories for six games played. Too little for a club of its size.
Humiliated by Tottenham at Old Trafford last week (3-0), the players of Ten Hag were unable to keep the ball, make truly dangerous attacks, and defend with panache. Which was also the case against other English teams in two months.
Singled out, the Dutch tactician and his choices are the talk of England. They are such that an ouster cannot be ruled out in the coming days if he fails to win this Sunday. The confrontation at Villa Park is therefore all the more important. Beyond a simple match to better relaunch in the championship, it serves as a deadline for the coach.
What he is aware of. The coach is even certain that things will change. In front of the press, he keeps a cool head. “We will get there. Don’t judge us in the moment. Judge us at the end of the season. We are in a process and we will improve. We have been reaching the finals for two seasons now. We need to develop and progress this team…“.
Gaps still to be erased
But despite all the progress made, the team suffers from very visible shortcomings. The biggest concerns his defensive aspect, in front of his goal and in midfield. Present recently, it was again demonstrated this Thursday since the Mancuniens conceded three goals.
The pair Matthjis De Ligt/ Lisandro Martinez has not yet had time to develop a perfect understanding. Diogo Dalot attempts to limit left case, while Noussair Mazraoui still looking for his bearings. Manuel Ugarte is also in difficulty, which obviously does not allow us to defend optimally.
“I changed my staff during the offseason. We bought new young players and we have to integrate them. I know that in top level football we usually don’t have time“, also underlined Ten Hag. “Players must perform immediately, but this is not always realistic. The players have to get used to our model of play, to the intensity of the Premier League. But this team is not giving up. So she has very strong mental strength. We are together, the owners, the management team, the staff“.
In addition, the offensive aspect also needs to be worked on. The efficiency of the Mancuniens is no longer as excellent as before. With only five goals scored in six days, they must work better on their transitions and not falter when it comes to aiming.
However, refreshed after the three goals scored against Portothey will try to pose the same concerns to Aston Villa.
Related News :