Erik ten Hag: Analysis video of where Man Utd's press went wrong vs Aston Villa

Manchester United were dealt a reality check in their pre-season friendly against Aston Villa on Saturday.

It had been all sunshine and rainbows for the Red Devils prior to their clash with the Villans as they transitioned into the Erik ten Hag era with wins over Liverpool, Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace.

With 11 goals scored across the three triumphs and some impressive football delivered along the way, we were all guilty of getting a little overexcited about United‘s new lease of life under Ten Hag.

And while drawing 2-2 with Villa in a match that ultimately means nothing doesn’t eradicate all that exhilaration, there’s no denying that it pumped the brakes on the hype train nevertheless.

Goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford had given the Old Trafford club a 2-0 lead at half-time in Perth, before Leon Bailey and Callum Chambers struck after the break to ensure that the spoils were shared.

However, it was the nature in which United capitulated that was most frustrating for Ten Hag with their weakest performance of his reign to date best summed up by David de Gea’s woeful goalkeeping for Villa’s equaliser.

According to Goal, Ten Hag lamented after the game: “It’s not possible that you go 2-0 and then throw it away. That’s what I just said in the dressing room, a drop of focus is unacceptable.”

So, why is it that there’s trouble in paradise? Well, one of the reasons is that United are still, understandably, adapting to the requirements of ‘Ten Hag Ball’, which was painfully apparent at times during the Villa draw.

Ten Hag’s RONALDO Disaster & Let Down (Football Terrace)

And the ways in which that proved costly for Ten Hag’s men have been brilliantly illustrated by YouTuber ‘Football Made Simple’, who is one of