By Catherine MacKenzie (21/03/2025)
Above: Aston Villa manager Natalia Arroyo. Photo: @AVWFCOfficial on X
Manchester United manager Mark Skinner has warned fans not to expect an easy game against Natalia Arroyo’s Aston Villa, a team fighting to avoid relegation.
Sunday’s game in the midlands will be an unusual one for Manchester United, as they will come into the game off the back of a heavy defeat at the hands of rivals Liverpool. That 3-1 scoreline will still feel heavy in the minds of fans; losing to your fiercest rivals in such a way is never something that can be quickly recovered from.
Aston Villa are also entering the weekend following an unexpected defeat – to London club and fellow relegation fighters Crystal Palace, who notched only their second win of the season.
Many pundits have claimed that United’s season has “gone under the radar” somewhat; their fifth-placed finish last year and key departures in the summer suggesting a modest season would be ahead of them. Instead, they are challenging for the Champions League – and until that Liverpool game, were seen as unlikely title challengers.
It could be argued that Villa’s season has gone under the radar for an altogether different reason; for a club that has former Lionesses and European Championships winners Rachel Daly and Jordan Nobbs in its ranks, a relegation fight and mid-season managerial change would not have been foreseen.
On Friday morning, both managers spoke to press. Team news out of both camps was positive, with no new injuries to report (barring a potential knock to United defender Gabby George, who is due to be assessed in the last training session).
United manager Marc Skinner was understandably asked about the reaction to the Liverpool loss from his team.
He expressed confidence that the team fully understood what should have been done in the game. He added that the loss has fuelled their “hunger” and that, against Villa, they aim to be more “ruthless in those attacking parts”.
Looking back on her team’s defeat to Palace, Villa’s Natalia Arroyo acknowledged that they had played “the game they [Palace] wanted us to play”. She emphasized that controlling emotions would be crucial for improvement against United, particularly in attacking moments against the team with the best defensive record in the league.
Arroyo anticipated that “Man United will probably force us to play a different game,” but emphasised that “we will be ready” and “we know we have the tools to win.”
For his part, Skinner suggested that playing against sides fighting relegation is dangerous in a different way to facing sides fighting for a place in next year’s Champions League. He talked about Villa being a “dangerous” team, agreeing that their results have not matched performances in recent weeks and that he expects more from them.
Asked about how Villa have changed since Arroyo’s arrival, he added that they have become more of a possession-based team, and that he sees them improving: “They are in a tough moment”, he said, “but I know they will grow from it”.
Aston Villa v Manchester United kicks off on Sunday at 16:30 and will be available in the UK on the Barclays Women’s Super League YouTube channel.
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