The dangerous trident in Man Utd's attack

On the Premier League homepage, expert Adrian Clarke assessed that the attacking trio in high form Alejandro Garnacho, Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford can help Man Utd break Aston Villa's playing style.

Hojlund, Rashford and Garnacho were all in poor form before Christmas, with just three Premier League goals between them. But things seemed to change on Boxing Day, with the trio playing key roles in a 3-2 comeback win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford in late 2023.

Since then, performances and efficiency have improved significantly, with Man Utd's front three contributing a total of 11 goals and five assists in their last five Premier League games.

Man Utd's current attacking trio, from left to right, are Granacho, Hojlund and Rashford.

The most significant change has been his ability to take chances , with Hojlund scoring four goals from six shots in his last four games, after failing to score in his first 14 Premier League appearances. Similarly, Garnacho and Rashford had only had a hand in two goals before Christmas, but have both been involved in five goals in their last five games.

Fuelled by the energy and confidence from scoring regularly, Man Utd's attacking trio are all in better shape and pressing more aggressively, with Garnacho averaging 29.53 sprints per 90 minutes in the last five games, while Hojlund and Rashford average 23.20 and 19.67 respectively.

Since that game, Ten Hag’s side have increased their desire to regain possession in the opposition half and have improved significantly in transition from defence to attack. Against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, Garnacho won the ball from goalkeeper Matt Turner’s error and set up Rashford for a goal.

Most recently, the "Red Devils" scored from another impressive rotation in the 3-0 win over West Ham at Old Trafford. In the 84th minute, Scott McTominay closed in, causing Kalvin Phillips to lose the ball, allowing Hojlund to advance to the penalty area. The Danish striker passed just enough for Garnacho to finish diagonally to seal the score.

Unai Emery's Aston Villa like to play from the back and pass to their central midfielders, so they will have to be very careful with their distribution and decision-making when facing Man Utd - who have been pressing the best this season.

In addition to finishing, Man Utd's attack has also improved in coordination. Hojlund had two assists for Rashford to score against Tottenham and Wolves. In particular, Adrian Clarke assessed that the pass between Rashford and Hojlund in the match against Tottenham could become a "new weapon" for Man Utd, as the English striker likes to dribble from the left wing into the penalty area and then shoot.

Ten Hag will certainly want to exploit Aston Villa's high defensive line with long passes towards Garnacho and Rashford down the flanks, while any space in the middle could be punished if Hojlund receives the ball in an open position.

Hong Duy

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