In an isolated game, this actually wasn't the most terrible performance and result from United. To get a draw at Villa is considered a great point at the best of times given how well they're playing so to do it when you're playing terribly should be taken as an achievement.
For us to go there, keep them quiet and grab a point is something that I wouldn't have minded but looking at the manager's situation and where we are in the league, was it what we needed?
1. Predictable tactic
When we play a game without much possession, it is very easy to predict what United are going to do.
Other than knowing we're going to hit teams on the break, the opposition knows that we're going to go down our left and look for Rashford most of the time.
This makes it very simple for oppositions to keep us quiet and limit us in attack because if they can stop that long diagonal to Rashford, the chances are we're not going to do much else.
We become very one-dimensional as we don't often use our right side as an outlet. Garnacho or any other winger for that matter, isn't as quick as Rashford which makes things all the easier for opponents to know what we're going to do.
Even still, I'd like to see us vary our game more and move down the right flank more as well.
2. Careless
This is another problem that we haven't sorted out this season.
Throughout the campaign and for a long time, United are far too careless in possession. This also isn't when they're being pressed by multiple opposition players but when they have time and space on the ball.
We see it all over the pitch with overhit or underhit passes, poor control, taking their eye off the ball and inexplicably hitting the ball long for no reason.
The final third is where it is worst. This is the area where we've being really struggling this season as United have scored just 5 goals in seven league games and have missed 17 big chances.
Garnacho on the break at the end of the game is a prime example of this.
On the counter, United have a 3-v-1 situation. Garnacho has the ball with Bruno and Antony to his left both busting a gut to get into a good position. With space and time, Garnacho hits it straight into the Villa defender, the chance is gone and we don't get the win.
Funnily enough though, even had he made that pass, I don't trust that either of Bruno or Antony would've scored which just highlights even further how careless and wasteful we can be.
This lack of care is exactly what separates the greats from the rest. Arsenal, City, LFC don't waste opportunities like that. This is part of the reason as to why we find ourselves in the position we're in.
3. Decent shape
United actually showed a decent shape out of possession. We were well organized without the ball and particularly in defence. The entire back line were brilliant and even after the halftime changes of Maguire and Mazraoui off for De Ligt and Lindelof, MUFC still maintained a solid defence.
Villa had just the solitary shot on target and that too came from outside the box. Onana in goal was hardly troubled at all.
This type of shut out performance takes a lot of concentration which shows some improvement in that area of our game.
4. What does this starting XI mean?
It was confusing, which is saying a lot because we know that with ten Hag, he can drop some doozies when it comes to his team selections.
Nobody would've predicted that lineup. ten Hag also only had just one of his summer signings in the team (Mazraoui) and that's because we have no other options at full-back although the manager did end up taking the Moroccan off at halftime. I still don't know why.
There is no future in that team. Evans and Maguire starting at centre-back and Eriksen in midfield doesn't suggest a team for the long-term, something that ten Hag constantly talks about in interviews: the long-term project.
I'm not saying that those players have played badly or don't deserve to start but what's the point when they aren't the future? Why didn't he start many of his new signings? Ugarte has been on the bench without getting a minute in two games. He instead brings Casemiro on at the end, a player who was awful last season and was one who could've left in the summer.
The whole point of Ugarte was to come in and sure up the midfield and be Casemiro's replacement.
However, now that this team did get a positive result at Villa, he will most likely have to stick with it again.
This selection was really odd and appeared to be one more of survival rather than anything else.
5. Uncle Jonny
This man deserves so much credit. I wouldn't have started him at Villa but the manager got it spot on to pick the Northern Irishman.
This was Evans' first start in the league and for him to come up against an in form striker like Ollie Watkins and basically shut him out the whole game is unbelievable.
Evans was head and shoulders above the rest for man of the match. There was no competition.
The way he played showed he still has a lot of quality but more than anything, it was his attitude that stood out. He looks like a player who gets it. Whatever 'it' is, not many of the current group actually seem to understand what it takes to be a Man Utd player. At this point, only Evans does.
For the 36-year-old to rock up to Villa Park and pocket Watkins and drop a MOTM performance is much like Dimitar Berbatov said: "Everybody on the pitch today should be ashamed because Jonny Evans is man of the match."
Absolutely spot on.
The centre-back just displayed the right type of mentality for a player of Man Utd. If he was even five years younger, he would definitely be starting CB and perhaps captain as he is a leader who is well respected at United as well.
If only some of our players showed this same attitude imagine where we could be.
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