Call it damning with faint praise, call it patronising, but maybe there was genuine recognition too from Jose Mourinho of a Manchester United manager trying something different in the hope of shifting the dynamic in his team.
Mourinho has been where Erik ten Hag is at United, searching for positive results to remove the spectre of scrutiny, and perhaps that is why, at least on the surface, he evaluated Fenerbahce’s Europa League 1-1 draw with a tone of empathy. Especially when it came to the most striking tactical call of the occasion.
Ten Hag starting Noussair Mazraoui at No 10 was on nobody’s bingo card before United flew to Turkey, but Mourinho claimed he was not surprised. While that may have been stretching credulity, his analysis struck a truer chord.
“I think I know what he tried,” said Mourinho. “They tried to see if I would press (Joshua) Zirkzee when Zirkzee drops deep between the lines. If I don’t go, they have one extra player in there. If I go, they try to create space for (Alejandro) Garnacho and (Marcus) Rashford to attack on diagonals. So we have to choose. I think strategically, was good.
“The situation with Mazraoui was, for you, maybe a big surprise, but for us it was not, because (Sofyan) Amrabat told me that Mazraoui can play this position, he did a lot with Ten Hag in Ajax. He is not Bruno (Fernandes) but he has legs to press the centre-backs. They did pretty well.”
Ten Hag and Mourinho before the match (OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)
Whether this was Mourinho at his head-patting best, or raising up an opponent so that his own team’s display becomes elevated, the fundamental assessment of Ten Hag’s decision has merit. Having lost Fernandes to suspension and with Mason Mount still not fit, Ten Hag went unconventional to add a layer of security. Mazraoui did play as a No 10 coming through the Ajax academy — with Ten Hag saying afterwards he had converted the player to full-back — but all the same this was some time for a reprisal.
Ten Hag had pulled a similar trick when starting Wout Weghorst as No 10 in the Camp Nou, and that proved somewhat effective, with Barcelona appearing confused in the 2-2 draw in February last year. Ten Hag could have been similarly acclaimed for taking a bold decision in Turkey had United built on the early goal Mazraoui played a part in.
Mazraoui had the option to unleash a shot himself when found by Garnacho, after superb work by Manuel Ugarte, but instead passed to Zirkzee, who teed up Christian Eriksen to score.
It’s the perfect start for Man United as Christian Eriksen strikes first 🎯
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And for US readers:
Christian Eriksen with his fourth goal involvement in the #UEL already this season for Man Utd 💪 pic.twitter.com/Yh5DIfc0Ty
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At another moment Mazraoui held off his marker to give the ball to Eriksen, who released Garnacho.
But his limitations in a playmaking sense were evidenced when he passed the ball behind Diogo Dalot as he made an underlapping run in inside left channel.
The issue with having a No 10 whose job is predominantly to disrupt the opponent is that wins are needed to make up for more attritional football. Arriving off the back of the 0-0 away to Aston Villa, when Jonny Evans and Harry Maguire were brought in for a safety-first approach, putting a defender in the fulcrum attacking role was another sign that not losing was the main motivation.
“Away from home in Europe, hectic ambience, to start with four attackers is too much,” said Ten Hag. “I know Nous is very capable to play in that position. He was helping midfield with defending, supporting Zirkzee in pressing, big part of goal for Eriksen. You can always move him back.”
Ten Hag did revert Mazraoui to type on 55 minutes, and despite this he had two strikes at goal from range. One tested the palm of goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, the other tested the patience of the travelling fans it went so far over the bar.
Eventually, Mazraoui was joined on the pitch by the player many thought may have filled the Fernandes hole. Amad was evidently upset at not starting, and even being left on the bench instead of Antony, and coaches Ruud van Nistelrooy, Rene Hake and Andreas Georgson all tried to cajole him into a smile before he went on.
Some in the Fenerbahce hierarchy were stunned Amad had not come on sooner and they feared the worst when his first touch, from an excellent crossfield pass by Mazaroui, took him beyond Mert Muldur. But Muldur took the drastic defensive action required and scythed Amad down.
Ten Hag said: “Amad is doing well. But we have to reward the performances of Antony in training, he is a threat almost every training session so I felt in that moment to bring him, to decide the game.”
Injury to Antony allowed Amad on and after the final whistle he was the first over to the travelling fans to applaud, although he appeared forlorn. When the next opportunity opens up in an offensive role, he will want to start.
Ten Hag, of course, need wins. In isolation, the point in Turkey is fine, but considering United’s record this season in Premier League and Europa League reads won three, drawn five, lost three, the sense of treading water persists.
(Top photo: Mazraoui applauds the travelling fans in Istanbul. Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
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