Louis Van Gaal termed the past two weeks as "awful", after the manager was unable to get his team to bounce back immediately from that scathing defeat to Arsenal owing to the international break. Well, the English Premier League is back now, with Manchester United travelling to face an Everton side, who have beaten them the last three times at Goodison Park.
When they say there are no easy games in the Premier League, it really is no throwaway comment – you really need to earn your victories in this league, and Manchester United will know if they let themselves get trampled in the first 20 minutes again, it will be a second defeat in a row for Van Gaal's side.
"We are always evaluating ourselves and we cannot accept that," Van Gaal said. "Not only the members of the staff, but also the players cannot accept that from each other because we want to be the champion -- so you have to behave like a champions. You have to improve yourself so that in the future you can be the champion. You have to improve every time, which is what I am saying.
"I have analysed over the two weeks and that is awful when you have such a result. You cannot manage it with your players and that is what you have to do as a manager, but all your players are flying out [on international duty]. Especially the last game, because we played on Sunday, they flew out directly after the match."
The start will be the key in this match. If Manchester United gain control, Everton will start to feel a little apprehensive. However, if Everton are allowed to attack with pace and power, then this could be another game that Van Gaal is forced to reflect upon without too much fondness.
Everton, in seventh, can go level on points with third-placed Manchester United with a victory at Goodison on Saturday, and that is precisely what Martinez will demand from his players.
"At home we have had two good results against them recently and at Old Trafford last season we were disappointed," Martinez told evertontv.
"We felt we played much better than the 2-1 defeat suggested and two outstanding saves from David De Gea stopped us from getting a positive result.
"The season before, we got an historic win as well, so we have been performing well but in the same way, it is fair to say United have been adjusting to changes and they have now found a settled team that has been performing really well this season. Clearly it will be a very tight game. "
Manchester United have a few injury worries, but the major ones are positive, with Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Bastian Schweinsteiger all passed fit by Van Gaal, while Marcos Rojo and Ander Herrera are also expected to return to the squad.
Seamus Coleman is back from injury for Everton, along with John Stones, the defender who was linked with a move to Old Trafford in the summer. The game comes too soon for former Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley, though, with Leighton Baines and Steven Pienaar also out.
Where to Watch Live
Get the Video highlights of the match HERE
Manchester United vs Everton is scheduled for a 3 pm local time (7.30 pm IST, 10 am ET) start. Star Sports 1 will show the match live in India, while the online live streaming options are on Starsports.com and Hotstar.
There will be no live TV coverage for viewers in the UK, but the match can be listened live to on radio on BBC Radio 5 Live. Australia viewers can watch the EPL game live on Fox Sports, while the online live streaming options are on Fox Sports On Demand and Foxtel Play.
Watch the game at Old Trafford live in the US on NBC Sports Network, with the live stream option on NBC Sports Live Extra. Audience in Canada can watch Everton vs Manchester United live on Sportsnet and Watch Sportsnet.
In Singapore, the Everton vs Manchester United match will be shown live on 102 Mio, while the action can be watched live in Malaysia on Fox Sports. Viewers in Thailand can flip their remotes to CTH, while audience in Indonesia can watch the EPL game live on Orange TV.
Audience in the Middle East and North Africa will be able to watch the EPL match live on Bein Sports Arabia, with the live streaming option on Bein Sports Connect.
