[Tyrion]

Glad we didn't lose.

Wish I hadn't spent 90+ minutes of my weekend watching that awful game.

I left early. It was genuinely putting me to sleep. My brother works from 4am and he was out by the full time whistle. There are hyperactive puppies who'd be out like a light if that was left on in the same room as them.

 

[Daengophile]

Shouldn’t he already be doing that ?

He should.

Who are the strikers?

 

[justsomebloke]

In what way do you think Martinez deserved to play? Both Evans and Lindelof did better than what we’ve seen from Martinez lately.

No, I agree Martinez hasn't been great lately, and Evans certainly did well yesterday. With the team set up to play the sort of game he needs in order to be effective. But It's kind of hard to see that there's a path to becoming a competitive team that includes regularly fielding a 37-year old at CB. If that really is better than playing Martinez, we're in deep, deep shit.

 

[Houdini]

Credit to Evans, h is fighting for the shirt in a shit team under a shit manager. He is not the anwer but considering his age its incredible.

 

[Wazzaduke33]

What I find baffling is ETH team selections and use of substitutions, it’s wild, he chops and changes every area the pitch either each game with his starting 11, or in game at HT at times. How many other top teams swap out there centre back pairings or front three en masse in this way ? It’s bizarre and smacks of someone who is trying desperately to land on a winning combination, nothing methodical or planned at all about it.

 

[VeryPrecious89]

Appalling. Cowardly by the manager and his usual insane nonsense spouted after the match. If he wasn’t obviously autistic, people would be justified in being angry with what he says.

 

[DomesticTadpole]

I am a bit torn on yesterdays result. It was a bit more composed defensively but next to nothing offensively. It got us a point. Last year was chaos all round and we ended up with three points. So really yesterday we dropped two points on last season.

 

[A-man]

No, I agree Martinez hasn't been great lately, and Evans certainly did well yesterday. With the team set up to play the sort of game he needs in order to be effective. But It's kind of hard to see that there's a path to becoming a competitive team that includes regularly fielding a 37-year old at CB. If that really is better than playing Martinez, we're in deep, deep shit.

I agree, to develop the team in the way ETH wants to play and for the future, he should prioritise the players he believes would fit in both terms of style and age. But I also think DeLigt-Martinez, and especially Martinez, have got their fair amount of chances and after the last back to back disasters there must be consequences.

For several years I have thought the back line has suffered from poor midfield. But it probably also goes the other way around. It must be difficult for a CM to play progressive football when they know there will be trouble behind them if they lose the ball. I think a safe but less adventurous back line could unlock our midfield in some ways.

I also think DeLigt benefited from being placed between Evans and Lindelof. Evans had a great game and brought a lot of organisation and structure to the whole defense. Lindelof is also organised, and while offering little forward, he brought security as more or less an extra CB outside DeLigt. In an organised defense, DeLigt looked really good imo.

ETH is now in a situation where he is expected to develop his expensive team in to a title challenger, but at the same time he needs every point to survive. He's in a very difficult situation and I think he will play a more pragmatic football instead of developing the team, in the coming matches. Like we saw yesterday. Stop the bleeding at the back and take it from there.

 

[dogwithabone]

That was a dreadful watch. One of the most boring games I’ve seen in years. We are just so crap as an attacking force - under hit passes, over hit passes, mis-directed passes, mis-controlling of the ball, its utter shite. Villa are crap too but I guess they have the excuse of having had a tough test in the week.

 

[RedIan]

Whilst the game was a bore fest, I do wonder if Brunos free kick had gone in instead of hitting the bar and Garnacho had passed better when it was 3v1 to make it 2-0, would we be saying that was a professional away performance. Fine margins.

 

[sincher]

Maybe my expectations have been set way too low, but it was a better performance than I was expecting, even though we were almost completely blunt in attack, and it's a bit depressing that to sort out our defence we have had to bring back Evans and Maguire.

 

[IRN-BRUno]

Awful game, probably one of the worst you'll see across the PL all season. You could argue that it was a decent point but then as Villa were just as poor, if not more so, it's a missed opportunity to get the win.

Ref was also just as bad. Seemed like every foul we made in the first half was a yellow but they managed to avoid them for similar.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Considering we beat Villa twice last season and they were missing Onana, Ramsey AND McGinn while we had basically our full squad available this can’t really go down as anything other than a bad result. And as for the performance, oh dear.

 

[Lentwood]

What this game demonstrates is that the standards required to achieve top four are really not that high at all.

Villa are a very average side who have been impeccably coached and drilled by a world class manager.

Objectively, the likes of Ollie Watkins, John McGinn, Rodgers, Pau Torres, Tielemans and Emi Martinez are at best second-rate i.e. 'good' but unspectacular.

The likes of Digne, Cash, Barkley, Ramsey, Diego Carlos, Konsa, Bailey etc...could really be at any club between 15th and 5th...and you wouldn't really notice them.

I will die on the hill that our squad is far, far superior in every single department.

What Villa have, that we don't, is a world class coach who has created a simple and effective system that turns a bunch of cloggers and a three or four with a bit of ability into a Champions League side capable of beating Bayern Munich. It's why OGS did so well for so long with arguably a worse squad than EtH. He's nowhere near Emery's level, but his system was simple and made football fun and easy for our players.

It annoys me to think that under any competent manager, with our squad and resources, we'd be coasting to top four this season.

We're obsessed with playing highly-complex, control-based, progressive football....but there's arguably only two (I don't count Liverpool's kick and rush, effective though it is) in the league that can play that way right now. We should build a platform first. Solid foundations, get the team drilled, get it settled and then slowly but surely make the necessary changes to kick-on...but that takes a bit of humility, and that's something we've lacked over the last decade.

 

[dogwithabone]

Whilst the game was a bore fest, I do wonder if Brunos free kick had gone in instead of hitting the bar and Garnacho had passed better when it was 3v1 to make it 2-0, would we be saying that was a professional away performance. Fine margins.

True but fine margins are part of the game and you have to turn them in your favour. You could say ‘fine margins’ in a lot of games ETH has overseen, at what point does it become more than coincidence that we can’t be the beneficiary of these fine margins more often?

 

[Reynoldo]

It was a classic case of a post European drop in performance from Villa yesterday and I would say most teams in the league would have been able to smell this and take advantage but we just have no killer instinct so (again), this one is on the manager.

 

[Buster15]

Im not sure what many would have took before the game. It's a weird situation we are in. It feels like we are watching a soap opera waiting to conclude and the football is playing second fiddle

That is pretty much how I feel as well about United.
It is dominating the media for all the wrong reasons. And we, the United fans are caught in the middle.
And it goes on; Moyes, LVG, Mourinho, Ole, Ten Hag, Glaziers, Ineos...
The media just loves taking the piss out of the club.
And the club continues to feed the frenzy.

 

[Buster15]

Credit to Evans, h is fighting for the shirt in a shit team under a shit manager. He is not the anwer but considering his age its incredible.

Yes he was. Our best signing for ages.

 

[Melville Red]

Yep. I’d like to see Zirkzee and Hojlund play together before we write them off

I’d like to see them play together for another team.

 

[THIFE24]

I’d like to see them play together for another team.

Agree, they can't play together. They are too similar in my opinion.

 

[SuperiorXI]

Yes he was. Our best signing for ages.

You are 100% correct which is a damning indictment on the club. It's an appalling situation.

 

[Maticmaker]

Yesterday, Jonny Evans the only member of our team who remembers the glory days, and it showed.
We may have some better players than Evans, and others like Casemiro who have won honours elsewhere, but sadly not many who wear the shirt with more pride and commitment than 37 year old Evans.

Thank you, Jonny, for brightening a dull game with grit, determination and no little skill.

 

[justsomebloke]

I agree, to develop the team in the way ETH wants to play and for the future, he should prioritise the players he believes would fit in both terms of style and age. But I also think DeLigt-Martinez, and especially Martinez, have got their fair amount of chances and after the last back to back disasters there must be consequences.

For several years I have thought the back line has suffered from poor midfield. But it probably also goes the other way around. It must be difficult for a CM to play progressive football when they know there will be trouble behind them if they lose the ball. I think a safe but less adventurous back line could unlock our midfield in some ways.

I also think DeLigt benefited from being placed between Evans and Lindelof. Evans had a great game and brought a lot of organisation and structure to the whole defense. Lindelof is also organised, and while offering little forward, he brought security as more or less an extra CB outside DeLigt. In an organised defense, DeLigt looked really good imo.

ETH is now in a situation where he is expected to develop his expensive team in to a title challenger, but at the same time he needs every point to survive. He's in a very difficult situation and I think he will play a more pragmatic football instead of developing the team, in the coming matches. Like we saw yesterday. Stop the bleeding at the back and take it from there.

Good points all.

 

[cyril C]

Before the game I think most people would satisfy with a point. During the game, watching how weak and toothless Villa was, I thought any half-decent team would be able to snatch 3 points from Villa Park. But then, looking into the mirror, it was a great result. No red card, not conceding any goals, for a mid-table team.

 

[Red00012]

Whilst the game was a bore fest, I do wonder if Brunos free kick had gone in instead of hitting the bar and Garnacho had passed better when it was 3v1 to make it 2-0, would we be saying that was a professional away performance. Fine margins.

And if Porto hadn’t scored 3 goals when we were leading 2-0 would we be saying it was a fantastic away performance.
Too many fine margins going on to be a fine margin

 

[golden_blunder]

Agree, they can't play together. They are too similar in my opinion.

How so?

 

[GueRed]

Evans - Man of the Match
de Ligt - Ok half. Looked more comfortable in a low block
Bruno - Sloppy Passes
Garnacho - Was frustrating to watch
Rashford - Got a couple of decent shots in. Lucky to not get sent off, petulant foul.
Hojlund - Huffed and puffed

Solid defensively but as usual a lack of good combination play in the attacking third. Boring

 

[Teja]

What this game demonstrates is that the standards required to achieve top four are really not that high at all.

Villa are a very average side who have been impeccably coached and drilled by a world class manager.

Objectively, the likes of Ollie Watkins, John McGinn, Rodgers, Pau Torres, Tielemans and Emi Martinez are at best second-rate i.e. 'good' but unspectacular.

The likes of Digne, Cash, Barkley, Ramsey, Diego Carlos, Konsa, Bailey etc...could really be at any club between 15th and 5th...and you wouldn't really notice them.

I will die on the hill that our squad is far, far superior in every single department.

What Villa have, that we don't, is a world class coach who has created a simple and effective system that turns a bunch of cloggers and a three or four with a bit of ability into a Champions League side capable of beating Bayern Munich. It's why OGS did so well for so long with arguably a worse squad than EtH. He's nowhere near Emery's level, but his system was simple and made football fun and easy for our players.

It annoys me to think that under any competent manager, with our squad and resources, we'd be coasting to top four this season.

We're obsessed with playing highly-complex, control-based, progressive football....but there's arguably only two (I don't count Liverpool's kick and rush, effective though it is) in the league that can play that way right now. We should build a platform first. Solid foundations, get the team drilled, get it settled and then slowly but surely make the necessary changes to kick-on...but that takes a bit of humility, and that's something we've lacked over the last decade.

Yeah I agree with this. But the transition from old school, pre-pep football to a modern system is hard. The real question to answer is:

Is there an upper limit to how successful Emery / Ancelotti / Simeone type football can be? Or if you build the right squad, can you compete for silverware against the Peps and Klopps of the world?

 

[Zed 101]

Before the game I think most people would satisfy with a point. During the game, watching how weak and toothless Villa was, I thought any half-decent team would be able to snatch 3 points from Villa Park. But then, looking into the mirror, it was a great result. No red card, not conceding any goals, for a mid-table team.

Before the game I would have been satisfied with a convincing win, a shite performance and a bore-draw did nothing for me

 

[RedDevilRoshi]

Defensively better than previous games but still a massive issue in the final 3rd once more.

 

[Melville Red]

Credit to Evans, h is fighting for the shirt in a shit team under a shit manager. He is not the anwer but considering his age its incredible.

Indeed, I was shocked at the team selection but he proved me wrong.
I thought Jonny looked good when he played for West Brom but never dreamt he would end up back with us.

 

[VeryPrecious89]

Indeed, I was shocked at the team selection but he proved me wrong.
I thought Jonny looked good when he played for West Brom but never dreamt he would end up back with us.

Jonny be good

 

[justsomebloke]

Agree, they can't play together. They are too similar in my opinion.

What do you mean? They seem extremely different to me.

 

[VeryPrecious89]

What do you mean? They seem extremely different to me.

Me too. With a different coach, someone with more to their tactics than scoring more and conceding less, I think we could see totally different players.

 

[Melville Red]

How so?

Crap springs to mind.

 

[golden_blunder]

Crap springs to mind.

They’re not similar styles at all

 

[mitchmouse]

I’m not sure if BBC are just useless or doing this deliberately … not the first time.

“The nearest they came against Aston Villa were a couple of Marcus Rashford efforts that were well saved by Emiliano Martinez and a late break where Alejandro Garnacho failed to find skipper Bruno Fernandes with a cross-field pass that would have provided a clear run on the home goal.”

I read that and presumed someone hadn't watched the game

 

[kouroux]

Whilst the game was a bore fest, I do wonder if Brunos free kick had gone in instead of hitting the bar and Garnacho had passed better when it was 3v1 to make it 2-0, would we be saying that was a professional away performance. Fine margins.

What makes you think if Bruno scored that FK that Garnacho would still have that chance or that Villa wouldn't have responded after trailing ?

 

[Hammondo]

I read that and presumed someone hadn't watched the game

Because they missed the free kick?

 

[Rood]