Aston Villa are better equipped than Manchester United, but Old Trafford remains a problem

There aren't many grounds in English football where Aston Villa have experienced as much frustration as Old Trafford, and despite the enormous progress we've made under Unai Emery, I still find it difficult to approach a trip to Manchester United with complete confidence.

We've won there twice in our last 31 visits, and I can remember both of those victories in my lifetime. There have been occasions when we've gone there with a better team, occasions when we've played better football and occasions when we've established positions from which we really should have won the game, only to come away with nothing.

The Boxing Day defeat a few years ago, when we surrendered a two-goal lead, is probably the one that sticks in my mind more than any other. It's difficult to completely remove those experiences from your thinking, regardless of how the two teams are performing.

However, looking at this fixture purely from a football perspective, I think Villa should be going there with genuine confidence, because there are some significant differences between the two sides at the moment, particularly when it comes to the work being done by their respective managers.

I was discussing this with Dave Reed on our latest 1874 preview, and one of the things we both agreed on was that Manchester United don't appear to be playing in a way that particularly suits the players they've got.

Michael Carrick enjoyed an excellent period towards the end of last season, but Dave made the point that even during that run of results, he wasn't entirely convinced by the direction United were heading in. There was very little evidence of the tactical development that would be required to turn them into genuine title challengers, and some of those concerns have become increasingly apparent this season.

United have spoken about wanting to become a more possession-dominant side, playing higher up the pitch and being more aggressive without the ball, but I'm not convinced they've got the personnel to make that work consistently.

Harry Maguire, for example, is an experienced and capable defender, but asking him to operate in a system that leaves enormous spaces behind the defensive line isn't necessarily making the best use of his qualities. There are similar questions throughout their team, particularly in midfield, where they can look vulnerable when opponents manage to play through their initial pressure.

Dave highlighted some of the problems with United's pressing, particularly the angles taken by their forward players and the lack of coordination when they attempt to close down opponents. Even when they drop into a mid-block, there are opportunities for teams to progress through central areas, and I think Villa have the players to take advantage of that.

When I watch Villa, I can generally identify exactly what Emery is trying to achieve, even when the approach changes considerably from one opponent to another.

Against Manchester City, for example, we saw Nicolas Jackson moving towards the left and Villa adapting the positions of their attacking midfielders to create different problems for City's defensive structure. Against Barcelona, there were adjustments to the positioning of Boubacar Kamara and João Gomes, and although the result wasn't what we wanted, there was still a clear tactical plan behind those decisions.

Villa's approach without the ball remains relatively consistent, but in possession there is a level of flexibility and sophistication that I don't see nearly as often when watching Manchester United.

That doesn't mean United are incapable of hurting us, because they absolutely are, and the biggest concern I have about Sunday is their ability to attack in transition.

We saw against Chelsea last weekend that they can create dangerous situations when opponents leave themselves exposed, and they probably should have taken advantage of some of the opportunities they created during the first half.

Villa cannot allow United to turn this into a game where they're repeatedly running into space against an exposed defensive line. We need to be compact, disciplined and sensible about when we commit players forward, because as much as I think we can play through their midfield, there is a balance that needs to be maintained.

Dave suggested that if both teams perform to their potential, Villa would win this fixture eight or nine times out of ten, and while I understand exactly where he's coming from, the history of this fixture makes me slightly reluctant to go quite that far.

I do think Villa are the better-coached side, and when you compare the two teams player for player, there aren't many Manchester United players I'd be desperate to bring into our starting eleven.

The quality of our recruitment and the development of players under Emery have brought us to a point where we can make those comparisons without it being particularly controversial.

Of course, United will have taken confidence from their Champions League victory over Roma in midweek, while Villa are coming into this game following a disappointing defeat in Barcelona. But I don't think those results fundamentally change the assessment of where the two teams are at the moment.

There's also the additional narrative surrounding Emery, given the recent speculation linking him with Manchester United and his subsequent commitment to Villa. I don't think he requires any extra motivation to win a football match, but there would certainly be something satisfying about going to Old Trafford and demonstrating exactly why Villa have been so determined to keep him.

Ultimately, I think the biggest danger for Villa is allowing Manchester United to play the sort of game that suits them, rather than imposing the approach that has made us so successful under Emery.

If we control possession, avoid unnecessary turnovers and make United defend the spaces between their midfield and defensive lines, I think we've got an excellent opportunity to finally improve that dreadful record at Old Trafford.

I've said before that Manchester United's reputation and the reality of their performances are two very different things at the moment, and Villa have an opportunity on Sunday to demonstrate just how far the balance between these two clubs has shifted.