Manchester United finished the year 2020 on a high as they are currently poised in the second place of the Premier League table. The Red Devils have come a long way after the loss to Tottenham Hotspur with a scoreline of 6-1 and only won by just against Wolves. Next up for Solskjaer’s men, Aston Villa come to Old Trafford in a bid to take all three points away.
The Manchester United players will be keen to start the new year on a great note and will make it a point to perform well. Solskjaer will again be expected to chop and change things from the match against Wolves because Villa will look to attack. The likes of Fred and McTominay might return to the starting XI to strengthen the solidity of the team.
Let us now have a look at how Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might set his Manchester United side up against Aston Villa.
THE 4-2-3-1
The 4-2-3-1 is one of the best options against Aston Villa for Manchester United, as the opposition play with the same system. Such a system has been preferred by Solskjaer in crucial games with Fred and McTominay dictating the midfield in the pivot. Both the players bring in solidity in the middle of the park and have surprisingly also notched up with goals once in a while.
Eric Bailly was one of the best players on the pitch in the Wolves game and looks as solid as ever alongside Maguire. The United captain also looked solid and will expect to carry his good form for a long time, which will obviously help Manchester United. The front-four of Martial, Cavani, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford looks devastating on paper and can cause havoc to the opposition.
Martial hasn’t scored a lot of goals this season and will be eager to get on the scoresheet for the Red Devils.
THE 4-4-2 (DIAMOND)
The 4-4-2 (Diamond) formation has done wonders at Manchester United as Solskjaer has exploited the abundance of midfielders in the squad. The likes of Pogba and Bruno Fernandes have played well in such a formation and have thrived without the defensive liabilities. This formation has also given Manchester United more stability and control of the midfield which has given them the chance to create more.
Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have done very well defensively but don’t have the qualities going forward and delivering crosses. Tuanzebe might get selected ahead of Wan-Bissaka, as the former is better going forward and is good on the ball. Maguire and Bailly also have to be at their best as Aston Villa have managed to score goals with Watkins, Jack Grealish and El-Ghazi coming up with the goods.
THE 3-5-2
The 3-5-2 is also an option for Solskjaer against Aston Villa which will see United playing a defensive game. Jack Grealish needs to be nullified if the Red Devils want to win the game as he is Villa’s main man and will need some stopping. The Red Devils should not take this game easy and have to be on their toes to have any chance of taking all the three points from the game.
