Manchester United continued their lacklustre form with a 1-1 draw away to Turkish outfit Fenerbahce. Erik ten Hag’s side could only stumble to a point away from home against a well-drilled home side led by their former boss, the legendary Jose Mourinho.
It was United who took the lead despite reams of early pressure from the home side. A well-worked move, started by summer signing Manuel Ugarte who won the ball in midfield, saw Christian Eriksen fire home from just inside the penalty box.
Mourinho’s team continued to pile on the pressure, and United goalkeeper Andre Onana pulled off a fantastic double save to deny Youssef En-Nesyri.
However, the Morocco international managed to get on the scoresheet just moments into the second half.
He met a cross from former Newcastle United man Allan Saint-Maximin, rising higher than Victor Lindelof to head home and equalise. Neither side was able to find the decisive action which won the game, and it ultimately petered out into a draw.
It was another frustrating night for United and Ten Hag’s side have now failed to win in Europe for exactly one year. There were some interesting selections from the Dutchman on Thursday night, in particular with Noussair Mazraoui’s role against the Turkish side.
Mazraoui’s stats vs. Fenerbahce
In Bruno Fernandes’ absence following his suspension after two yellow cards against Porto, it was interesting to see who the Dutchman would turn to as his replacement. His selection of Mazraoui at number 10 certainly caused a few surprises.
All things considered, it was not a bad performance by someone who is, by trade, a full-back. The Moroccan is an incredibly technical player which showed in some of his actions against Fenerbahce. He had some bright moments and played a part in Eriksen’s goal.
Indeed, his performance in Turkey was enough to receive a 6/10 rating from The Manchester Evening News’ chief Manchester United writer Samuel Luckhurst. He praised the United number three for being “positionally disciplined”, although ultimately said the experiment was unsuccessful.
The former Ajax defender certainly worked hard in an unfamiliar role, and his Sofascore stats reflect that. The 26-year-old had 64 touches of the ball, completing 83% of his passes and three from four long balls. Out of possession, he won two duels and two tackles.
Given the circumstances, Mazraoui put in a solid performance, and there were certainly more disappointing players on the pitch in a United shirt, including striker Joshua Zirkzee.
Zirkzee’s stats vs. Fenerbahce
It has been an underwhelming start to life at Old Trafford for Netherlands international Zirkzee. After a debut goal against Fulham, the 23-year-old has not found the back of the net, although he did get his first assist in a United shirt against Fenerbahce.
The former Bologna striker teed the classy Danish midfielder up nicely, setting the ball perfectly for the United number 14 to rifle home and give his side the lead. Outside of that, however, the Red Devils striker struggled, and his usual fluid link-up play was not on display.
Indeed, his stats also suggest it was a tough night at the office. The United number 11 had just 21 touches, far fewer than Onana managed, with 49 to his name. Zirkzee managed to complete just 67% of his passes, lost the ball seven times and won two from eight duels.
Touches
21
Pass accuracy
67%
Passes completed
8/12
Ground duels won
1/4
Aerial duels won
1/4
Number of times possession lost
7
Assists
1
His performance earned him a 4/10 rating from the aforementioned Luckhurst following the game. The journalist gave the United striker a scathing review and explained that it was an ‘anaemic performance’ from the 23-year-old.
Ten Hag will no doubt be hoping Zirkzee can find his shooting boots soon. The games are coming thick and fast, and United need to pick up wins to get themselves out of this run of poor form.
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