Aston Villa @ 5/4
Man United @ 11/4
Draw @ 2/1
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Aston Villa v Manchester United is a 2pm kick-off on Sunday, and all eyes will be on the away side and their imperilled manager, who is teetering expansively on the highwire of unemployment.
Like his namesake, fabled Norse explorer ‘Erik The Red’, Erik ten Hag is facing ignominious exile. In his banishment, Manchester’s red Erik may also go on to discover his very own Greenland…but given that he hasn’t been able to discover a way to make United appear vaguely competent for two consecutive games, that seems somewhat unlikely.
It is becoming increasingly clear that the FA Cup Final victory back in May was a colossal fluke…
The 3-3 draw away at Porto in the Europa League on Thursday night did nothing to inspire confidence. Substitutions made little sense, the captain seemed determined to leave the field before the final whistle, and the defence looked as fragile as a politician’s promise.
The United backline isn’t just making their goal easy to find these days, they are planting sumptuous tree-lined avenues for their attacking opponents, so the view can be enjoyed as they are beckoned forward. ‘Here is our goal, please, take your time, let us show you in…’
Defensive gaps appear suddenly like sinkholes. Cristiano Ronaldo may not regret no longer playing for United…but he probably regrets not having opportunity to play against them regularly, given their gracious desire to concede soft goals. Oh, the two-yard tap-ins he could score!
It is becoming increasingly clear that the FA Cup Final victory back in May was a colossal fluke. And it is increasingly unclear how someone who was a centre-back in his playing days could preside over such backline incoherence as a manager.
Making things worse for Manchester United is the fact that none of their fellow ‘big six’ cohorts are enduring similar struggles. Manchester City and Arsenal are clearly fine. Liverpool find themselves top of the table heading into Gameweek 7, with Arne Slot making the Eredivisie-to-Premier League transition look embarrassingly easy – the Dutchman became the first Liverpool manager ever to win 8 of his opening 9 fixtures last weekend.
Chelsea, spearheaded by Cole Palmer and a rejuvenated Jadon Sancho, are sending shivers down spines across the land. Heck, even Spurs are showing potential!
In one possibly positive, if perplexing, development for United; Bruno Fernandes had his red card from last Sunday rescinded by a higher power. Which begs the obvious question regarding the current Premier League punishment system: if someone else is VAR-ing the VAR…then who is VAR-ing the VAR that is VAR-ing the VAR? Or, more succinctly, maybe this little episode proves beyond all doubt that VAR isn’t working and should be well and truly binned.
Aston Villa have already slayed one footballing behemoth this week – Bayern Munich becoming the latest team to fall foul of Jhon Durán’s guile on Wednesday night. United’s best hope is that the Villains enjoyed this victory a little too much – indulging in Ozzy Osbourne levels of post-match excess – and will arrive at their home stadium this Sunday with hands still shaking and breakfasts untouched for the fourth day in a row.
With an international break looming, Old Trafford’s Monday morning meeting agenda could be re-written if Aston Villa win with ease. Ruud van Nistelrooy, who, as a player, always possessed a very keen eye for an opportunity, is waiting patiently in the wings. Though surely everyone remembers what happened the last time a celebrated former-Manchester United striker took control of the managerial steering-wheel following an abrupt sacking?
Despite new personnel operating the machinery, the Old Trafford carnival carousel appears to be completing another calamitous rotation; finding itself precisely back where it began. Can anything, or anyone, prevent another arduous cycle of incompetence both on and off the pitch? Perhaps the board should pay close attention to their forthcoming opponents – Aston Villa are showing that sleeping giants can be successfully roused.
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