Manchester United vs Aston Villa: Three Key Battles
Manchester United take on Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Saturday in a clash of two in-form teams who are fighting for completely different reasons. Back-to-back wins over fellow Champions League contenders Tottenham and Liverpool has helped build a five-point gap for Manchester United, who are now looking up, rather than down, in fourth place. On the other hand, Villa have won two of their last three games, having scored six goals in the process.
Louis Van Gaal has finally seemed to have found a winning formula that works and gets the best out of United’s vastly talented squad. The return of Juan Mata to the starting line-up has been a big boost for the Red Devils, who have won their last four league games and conceded just one goal in the process.
Although the game ended in a draw in Villa Park in December, United’s impressive home record against Villa, which has seen them win 11 of their last 12 games and score at least 3 goals in 7 of their last 8 matches, means the odds are heavily stacked against Tim Sherwood’s side. So let us look at the three key battles that will decide this game.
Louis Van Gaal vs Tim Sherwood
While it will certainly be a clash of two slightly similar sides on the pitch, on the touchline, it is completely different. If Van Gaal is the master, at 63, then Sherwood, at 46 is a relative apprentice. If the Dutchman is the tactical genius, who can set his side up in so many different ways, then the Englishman is someone who is set in his ways, as far as his side’s style of play is concerned.
Despite the wealth of experience that the 63-year-old possesses, he has already shown that he is not afraid to make changes if it is necessary. Sherwood, on the other hand, is slightly more rigid. Although he wants his side to play attacking football, he doesn’t really have a plan B. While his opposite number looks as though he has a dozen plans for every team. On Saturday, United look set to dominate the ball, but it will be interesting to see how Sherwood responds to that. Pace on the counter has been Villa’s strength, but it remains to be seen if they can utilize that against the league’s third-best defense and what the Englishman will do if his side go a goal down early in the game.
Central midfield battle
With Tom Cleverley ineligible to play against his parent club, Villa might need to bring on Carlos Sanchez to partner Fabian Delph against United. The Columbian is likely to sit deeper and allow Delph more freedom to go forward and attack. While this might work against most sides, United with their three-man central midfield will pose a considerable problem for the visitors, who will not have Cleverley’s energy to hassle and hurry the opponents.
After being left out in favor of flashier central midfielders for the bulk of his career, it looks as though, Michael Carrick will finally get a chance to show England what he can do. The 33-year-old’s return to the starting line-up at the start of the year coincided with more control and composure in United’s midfield. Since then, Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini have joined the mix and provided penetration and power in equal measure. If Villa are to have any chance of getting something out of the game, they need to stop the trio over-running their midfield duo and reduce the time they have on the ball.
Battle on the flanks
Good old-fashioned wing play has almost become extinct. Gone are the days when you had four wingers on the pitch trying to prove they are the best. Instead, Saturday’s clash features four wide players and not wingers. Of the players that will start on the flanks for both sides, only Ashley Young can be categorized as a true winger.
Juan Mata is an attacking midfielder, who is being asked to play out wide on the right. Scott Sinclair and Charles N’Zogbia are both quick and can cross, but both tend to drift inside and join the attack centrally instead of staying wide. With Antonio Valencia and Daley Blind operating at full back for United, Villa’s two wide players will have to keep an eye out defensively and provide cover as often as possible for their full backs. If they don’t, then like Tottenham did, in United’s last home game, they will pay the price.