Aston Villa 0-1 Manchester United: Five Talking Points

Adnan Januzaj marked his first start for Manchester United in six months with the games only goal as the Red Devils won their opening two games of a season for the first time since 2011. Although it was far from a vintage display, Louis Van Gaal sides kept their second-straight clean sheet and go top of the table for the first time since the start of the 2013-14 season.All of that was possible thanks to the Belgians first-half goal that was calmly taken following Juan Matas through ball from the inside the left flank. For Tim Sherwood and Aston Villa, it was a game from which there was little to praise, aside from their commitment and effort.Here are the major talking points from the game.

#1 Not a Friday night delight

This was the first of 10 Friday night games in the Barclays Premier League this season and after a thoroughly forgettable game, opinions are still split about the decision to play games on Fridays. While Louis Van Gaal was quick to add that “Friday is the best night to play” and Mata was also happy about the prospect of having the entire weekend to watch football, Aston Villa captain Micah Richards wasn’t so keen.

Irrespective of whether the fans take to games on Friday nights or not, one thing that will always help is some good football. Unfortunately for those who turned up at Villa Park, they were treated to two sides who struggled to create too many meaningful chances and were intent on giving the ball away.

Goalmouth action was minimal and aside from the goal, there was only two further shots on target in the entire game. If the league was looking for an instant classic to kick off the first Friday game of the season, they were left utterly disappointed.

#2 Mata deserves to be the centre of attention

Mata’s defence shredding pass led to United’s only goal of the game

World Cup winner, European Champion, a hub of creativity and a consistent goal scorer from midfield, there are many things Mata is, but a right winger isn’t one of them. For all of his tactical genius, Louis Van Gaal’s insistence on playing the Spaniard on the right flank is not only baffling but also detrimental to United’s chances of competing for the title.

Although it was the 27-year-old who created the game’s only goal, his tendency to cut inside and lack of pace meant that left back Jordan Amavi was given license to go forward at every opportunity and the width on the right was provided mainly by Matteo Darmian’s overlapping runs.

Despite being the game’s sole attacking spark with two delightful through balls, one can’t help but wonder if the Spaniard could be put to better use as a No.10 and the orchestrator of the United attack.

#3 United need reinforcements up front

How long can Van Gaal rely Rooney as the lone man upfront?

Despite filling the void in central midfield, United’s transfer policy thus far has been curious to say the least. Not only are they pinning their hopes on a goalkeeper who hasn’t been first choice in two years to be their No.1 until the David De Gea issue is resolved, but also relying on Wayne Rooney, a notoriously streaky player to not only stay fit but also fire enough goals for the entire season.

If Van Gaal needed proof that he needed more fire power, he certainly got it as the club captain, put in the worst performance of a season that is barely a week old. Rooney’s touch looked clumsy, he failed to hold onto the ball and one occasion, even turned a promising attack into a poor one, by pinching the ball, taking away all the impetus and giving possession away immediately.

While everyone has bad days, the difference between Rooney’s good and bad days are such that the club can’t afford to risk going into the season without the addition of another striker.

#4 Amavi shows plenty of promise

Amavi had a go at United defender Darmian on every instance

The last French full back who came to the Premier League, having played for Nice left the league having accumulated 15 trophies, including five league titles. That man was Patrice Evra. Although Amavi isn’t going to match Evra’s trophy haul during his time at Aston Villa, he has the potential to develop into the League’s no.1 full back much like Evra did.

Aside from playing for Nice, the attribute that links both Evra and Amavi is their pace and ability to cover the entire length of the left flank throughout the game. With Mata offering little in the way of defensive cover, Amavi took it upon himself to have a go at Darmian at every opportunity.

Although he didn’t always win the battle, his pace was evident and has quickly settled into unfamiliar surroundings. If Villa are to get through the season without being dragged into the relegation dogfight, they will need the majority of their summer signings to fit in quickly, much like the 21-year-old has done.

#5 Depay still has a lot to learn

Depay looked sharp even though he spurned a glorious chance to make it 2-0

If you only looked at the scorelines from both of United’s games, you would note that United’s big summer signing, Memphis Depay is yet to contribute to a single goal. But such simple deductions are off the mark for two reasons.

One is the fact that despite being the Dutch League’s leading scorer last season, Memphis is only 21 and still has a long way to go before he becomes a finished article. Second is that the game against Villa showed just what he can bring to the side.

While plenty has been said about his pace, trickery and his ability on the ball, it was his movement in particular that was impressive, especially against a compact Villa defence. On two occasions in the first half, he made the perfect run from out to in, but wasn’t found by his teammate. Although Mata did so in the second half, the Dutchman spurned a glorious chance to make it 2-0.

With a few more games under his belt, he would’ve buried that and although he is yet to make a big impact on either game, he is showing just why he could well prove to be the signing that brings them closer to the title.

Edited by Staff Editor