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That United XI doesn’t look very hard to beat. Patrick Dorgu, a regular earlier this year, went down the pecking order because of being “anxious” with his final ball, as Amorim put it. Manuel Ugarte has been trusted with a start only three times this season – in the 3-0 defeat at Man City, the 3-1 defeat at Brentford, and the 2-2 embarrassment at Grimsby. (Plus one game for Uruguay – the 5-1 thrashing by the USA.)
Casemiro will be missed not just in midfield but up front, where he is United’s most effective target man, even better than Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt – who are also missing today. This might be a good time for Ben Sesko to get his first headed goal for United.
The first email of the day comes from Nelson Calvinho. “When did Amorim spurn or scorn Mainoo?” he asks. “Isn’t it more truthful that the English media spurns and scorns Amorim?”
Well, Amorim has spurned Mainoo in just about every league game this season, failing to give him a single start. As Mainoo had been a regular for United under Erik ten Hag and for England under Gareth Southgate, this was quite marked. Amorim has repeatedly mentioned his misgivings about Mainoo, saying “he needs to increase the rhythm, the pace,” and arguing that Mainoo is competing for Bruno Fernandes’s position, whereas Ten Hag usually lined them up together.
The English media (with the odd exception) have been kind to Amorim. They certainly haven’t spurned him: they like the fact that he is forthcoming and quotable. Among the pundits, the only one I know of who has scorned him is Paul Scholes, who said he had “ruined'” Mainoo.
Teams in full
A tale of two Martinezes. For Villa, Emi Martinez returns in goal after missing two games: his first task is not to get sent off, as he did when Villa lost 2-0 at Old Trafford in May. For United, Lisandro Martinez is still not reckoned to be ready to start, which means they stick with the inexperienced pair of Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven. Against Bournemouth, both were classy going forward but brittle when pushed back.
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1) Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Lindelof, Maatsen; Kamara, Onana; McGinn, Tielemans, Rogers; Watkins.
Subs: Bizot, Routh, Digne, Garcia, Hemmings, Buendia, Bogarde, Guessand, Malen.
Manchester United (probable 3-4-2-1) Lammens; Yoro, Heaven, Shaw; Dalot, Ugarte, Fernandes, Dorgu; Mount, Cunha; Sesko.
Subs: Bayindir, Heaton, Fredericson, Martinez, Malacia, J Fletcher, Lacey, Mantato, Zirkzee.
Teams in brief: Lindelof starts!
Victor Lindelof could not be said to have played a big part in Villa’s surge up the table. He’s had only 119 minutes in the league, according to fbref. But he did play the whole game at West Ham last Sunday and he starts again today. He will be surrounded by old friends, although they won’t include the centre-forward he will be tussling with, Benjamin Sesko, who arrived at Old Trafford after Lindelof left.
Teams in brief: no Mainoo, so Ugarte returns
Just when a first start of the season was beckoning to him, Kobbie Mainoo has picked up a minor injury, so he’s not even on the bench and Manuel Ugarte has a shot at redemption. Ruben Amorim also brings back Patrick Dorgu, which suggests he’s sticking with his much-disliked formation.
Pre-match reading: United
Could anyone make sense of the 4-4 farrago last Monday? Probably not, but I had a go for United Writing, the Substack newsletter Rob Smyth and I started for fellow supporters sufferers.
Pre-match reading: Villa
If you’d like to hear more about Unai Emery’s winning streak, Jonathan Wilson is waiting for you with his usual wisdom.
Preamble
Afternoon everyone and welcome to today’s big match – in fact the only match in all four (men’s) divisions in England. On the shortest day of the year, the authorities have decided to put on the shortest programme possible. And the fixture they have picked is one that finished 0-0 last season.
Still, it could be very tasty this time. Aston Villa have won nine games in a row in all competitions. Manchester United, with only one competition to worry about, have won just twice in their past seven outings. When they face these opponents, though, United begin to resemble the force they once were. Villa have even managed to make Alex Ferguson’s successors look good: in 18 league games against United since 2013-14, Villa have won two, drawn four and lost 12.
Today they will have momentum on their side. And a much more capable manager. Unai Emery wins 55 per cent of his games with Villa; Ruben Amorim wins 39 per cent of his with United. You can see the gulf between them in the way each has handled his club’s brightest young thing. While Emery has made a maestro out of Morgan Rogers, Amorim tends to see Kobbie Mainoo as someone to be spurned or scorned.
United knew they would be missing Bryan Mbeumo and Amad today, because of Afcon. But, thanks to a silly foul the other night that led to a suspension (and a goal from a free kick), they will also be without Casemiro.
Amorim appears to have three options for a replacement, none of which he fancies. (1) Place some faith in Mainoo, who – as Amorim himself acknowledged – played well against Bournemouth, bringing some composure to a game that had turned into an office party. (2) Go back to Manuel Ugarte, who has a habit of being on the field when United fall apart. (3) Insult both of them by playing somebody out of position, such as Lisandro Martinez, who is yet to start as he makes his way back from a nine-month injury. There could even be a (4): ditch the third centre-back, play Mainoo and Ugarte as a pair in the pivot, and let Bruno Fernandes return to his natural habitat further forward.
This is Amorim’s first visit to Villa Park. According to Opta, he’s three times more likely to lose than to win (57pc to 20). But it often suits his team to be the underdogs and they’ve been better away from home lately, with three wins and two draws since the beginning of October. Villa’s flawless consistency has not brought dominance: their last seven wins have come by a single goal. And it’s Christmas, so anything can happen.
