"There was good character and good spirit" - Ten Hag on Manchester United's performance in 0-0 Aston Villa draw
Manchester United’s winless run in the Premier League continued with a goalless draw against Aston Villa on Sunday, October 6, at Villa Park. After the game, under-pressure manager Erik ten Hag focused on the positives, highlighting his team’s defensive organization in keeping a clean sheet.
Following two losses in their opening three matches, the Red Devils appeared to have gained momentum with convincing victories over Southampton (3-0) and Barnsley (7-0) in the EFL Cup. However, that momentum stalled after back-to-back draws against Crystal Palace (0-0) and FC Twente in the Europa League (1-1).
Heading into the match at Villa Park, United were certainly in a difficult situation, having suffered a 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur the previous week. They also narrowly salvaged a point against Porto in the Europa League clash on Thursday, thanks to Harry Maguire’s stoppage-time goal in a 3-3 draw.
Ten Hag was under significant pressure to get a result, especially with the club’s co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in attendance, who hinted that the decision regarding Ten Hag’s future rested with the club’s management team.
Understandably, the Dutch manager opted for a very defensive setup. His players certainly responded, as they were largely solid at the back, limiting Villa to just one shot on target. Despite concerns over their attacking performance, Ten Hag was quick to commend his team’s defensive discipline on the night.
“I think it’s the fourth clean sheet this season. You see we had a very good organisation and togetherness. There was good character and good spirit as a team. Determined, resilient," he said (via centredevils on X).
It was a decent performance against Aston Villa, but doubts will still linger about Ten Hag’s future, as Manchester United are currently 14th in the table with only eight points. This marks their lowest points tally after seven games since the 1989-90 season, when they finished 13th in the old First Division.
Jonny Evans gives his verdict on Manchester United’s performance against Aston Villa
Erik ten Hag made a surprising decision by including Jonny Evans in the starting lineup. The 36-year-old partnered with Harry Maguire, while both Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt were named on the bench.
Despite initial concerns from Manchester United fans, Evans was solid at the back, and did not put a foot wrong in a challenging encounter. However, the veteran defender felt that United could have made better decisions when in attacking positions.
"It wasn’t perfect. We didn’t pass the ball as well as we would have liked to, but we’ve got a point against a very good side away from home. After conceding three in Europe, we were perhaps defensive-minded and hoped to catch them on the counter-attack which we nearly did at the end," Evans said (via the Sun).
The international break comes at a critical time for Manchester United and Erik ten Hag. After the break, they will host Brentford at home before facing a tough away fixture against Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce in the Europa League.