Aston Villa can’t take too much from their goalless draw against Manchester United on Sunday because it was dropped points.
There is huge pressure on Erik ten Hag with Manchester United sitting in the Premier League’s bottom half, whilst Aston Villa are sitting just outside of the top four.
Unai Emery has done a tremendous job at Villa, including helping the team secure Champions League football last season.
The former Villarreal coach arrived in the Premier League three months after Manchester United appointed ten Hag.
Yet, the difference in style of play, individual quality and development as a team is incredible because it is night and day
Gary Neville was complaining at that, in the only way he could, as Manchester United picked up a point and clean sheet at Villa Park.
The former right-back stated that the fans would have ‘snapped your hand off’ to take a draw before the game and they got their wish.
Added to that, Neville feels it tells you ‘how far Villa have come’ that. this recent game. was dropped points from their perspective.
One area that bugs the two-time European Cup winner is the lack of danger, style of play and combination play between Manchester United’s front players.
Neville used Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers as examples of how they ‘combine with each other’ and ‘know what each other is doing’, as he told Sky Sports.
But Neville cried with frustration that ‘Manchester United don’t have that’ after a very poor showing in the attacking third against Villa.
Aston Villa’s combination play with Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins
“It’s a small step forward (for Manchester United),” said Neville. “I think before the game if you offered any Manchester United fan, probably player and coach, a draw, then they would have snapped your hand off.
“As a Man United fan when we are thinking actually it’s a decent point when you draw at Villa. That tells you how far Villa have come, but it also tells you how low the bar is for Manchester United, at this moment in time.
“Manchester United somehow have to find a way of playing where patterns develop and people are telepathic. It doesn’t happen. The front four of Man United, Garnacho, Rashford, Hojlund and Fernandes. It’s a front four that a lot of I think top teams would look at and think, ‘that’s not a bad front line’. Yet it doesn’t look dangerous at all as a combination. Thefront two for Villa, Rogers and Watkins, they combine with each other. They play with each other on the pitch. They know what each other is going to do. Man United don’t have that.”
Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers are products of the English Football League
Manchester United have splashed the cash like crazy in recent times, but for the most part, it has resulted in them taking one step forward and two steps back.
The Europa League side paid beyond £70 million for a player like Rasmus Hojlund, yet Watkins, Rogers and new contract signing Jhon Duran combined cost less.
Two of those players are products of the English Football League and a prime example that you don’t need to ship for the fancy players every time.
Aston Villa’s recruitment, even with losing Jack Grealish, Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby, has been incredible in recent years, but the same can’t be said for Manchester United
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