After getting some momentum in the Premier League with a win vs Brentford, the focus turns to the Europa League with an away game at Fenerbahce.
The story of the game, obviously, is the reunion with Jose Mourinho, with Fred and Sofyan Amrabat also in the Turkish club’s ranks.
Erik ten Hag, however, has to block out all the noise and just focus on preparing his team to get their first win the Europa League after two frustrating draws.
Fenerbahce have won one and drawn the other of their two games, leaving them two points ahead of Manchester United so the fight to finish in the top-eight is intense.
Here’s the Fenerbahce vs Man Utd prediction and analysis as the path to rebuilding the season after a poor start picks up pace-
Tactical breakdown and analysis
Mourinho has been marked as a “footballing dinosaur” in recent years as there is a growing feeling that modern football has passed him by.
When he arrived at the scene with his trademark swagger and defensive excellence, he was the toast of the town but two decades on, those methods simply prove to be frustrating for the fans and ancient for the players and the board.
That is what has been happening this season as Mourinho is under increasing pressure at Fenerbahce.
The team hasn’t looked convincing in attack and the dropped points already have them looking in from the outside in the title race.
However, Ten Hag will be well aware of Mourinho’s everlasting ability of setting his team up to win a one-off game especially when he has a narrative to fall back on.
Expect Mourinho to do what Mourinho does. He will set his team up in a low block, close off the spaces between the lines to frustrate United and a man-marker will be unleashed on one of Marcus Rashford or Alejandro Garnacho who’ll skirt the limits of what’s acceptable while defending.
Allan Saint-Maximin will be unleashed on transitions after he was kept fresh with a bench appearance on the weekend, while Youssef En-Nesyri could be chosen over Edin Dzeko for his exploits vs United with Sevilla in this competition.
Dzeko should come off the bench to hold the ball up and play against a tiring United side.
For United, Amad might be the player for this game as he flourishes in tight spaces and doesn’t need space in front of him to run in behind the defence, which Fenerbahce won’t provide.
Fernandes’ ability to create something out of nothing will be missed greatly but in his absence, a more collegiate effort to create chances with layoffs, link-ups, one-touch passing, and off-the-ball movements will be important.
What Ten Hag can’t do is let this become a game similar to what Peter Bosz’s Ajax suffered vs Mourinho’s United in the Europa Leauge final in 2017. It can’t be a United sterile possession vs Fenerbahce lethal transition fixture.
Fenerbahce vs Man Utd prediction
When the fixture list came out, United would have probably been happy with a draw here but so bad have the results been leading up to this game, that a win feels necessary.
Two draws in two games are not good enough but an away game in Turkey is hardly the fixture to come back with a statement performance.
That’s exactly what United need to do. For starters, they need to come out of the blocks flying to quieten the famously rabid Turkish fans who will relish this marquee game.
An early goal will be huge but even if they don’t get it, the need to probe constantly without panicking should see them get at least a point here, if not two.
Play it securely instead of letting the game divulge into chaos, and take the chances that fall their way. Fenerbahce can be kept quiet by defending transitions diligently. This is the biggest test of United’s mentality in Europe which has been far too fragile.
Expect Ten Hag to be happy with a draw and fight battles in the bigger picture in the next five games in Europe.
United in Focus predicts Fenerbahce 1-1 Man Utd.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
