Manchester United Review v Aston Viilla

To be fair, I don’t think the first half performance was bad, but I think on the balance of play the United boys could feel a little hard done by to be 2-0 down at halftime. Really good second half performance though by Manchester United.

Two moments of bad defending and we got punished both times. Aston Villa didn’t really have any other great chances in that first half, and we wasted a couple and was a shade unlucky with the offside.

However, the changes the manager made at halftime and during the second half were all spot on and exactly what we needed. It was great to see the players’ heads didn’t go down despite being 2-0 down. They still fought and played with heart and courage. Which suggests that the reports that 50% of the dressing room have stopped playing for the manager are wide of the mark. Or at the very least, none of the players who played yesterday are amongst the 50% who are downing tools.

Tactically, I’m not sure how much we can learn from this game alone. Villa play a high line and that suits our forward line. Up against a side that sits deep and stays compact, I’m not sure a front three of Rashford, Hojlund and Garnacho have the right mix of skills to create and score enough goals. Lots of positives to take from the Match though.

Rashford looked brighter after being benched for a couple of games, even creating good chances.

Garnacho has laid down a marker to be a starter on the right. His previous showing on the right have been underwhelming, but maybe that could be put down to a lack of experience. It’s always best to play inexperienced youngsters in their best position, especially when they are trying to make the step up to men’s football. Maybe now, with a little more experience under his belt, he is more capable of playing from the right, or maybe it was just a good game for him to play from that side due to how Villa set up. Either way, he should get a few more chances to play on the right for us to find out.

Mainoo showed he has the character to not let a mistake affect him. He cost us a goal in his previous outing, but was majestic against Villa. Highlighting not just his talent but his strong mentality and positive attitude. I really think he has what it takes to make it to the top. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is a starter for England at the next world cup alongside Rice and Bellingham in what looks like it could be one of the best midfielders at international level.

Antony was bright when he came on and was exactly what…