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It was a familiar tale of agony for Manchester United in the Europa League on Thursday as they allowed yet another side off the hook after taking the lead.
This time it was Fenerbahce who came back from a goal down, scored by Christian Eriksen in the first-half, to draw level early in the second 45 minutes.
This was United’s third consecutive draw in the competition and on all three occasions they had taken the lead only to return home with only a point to show for their efforts.
The result meant the Red Devils are currently 21st in the table with only the top eight going straight into the Round of 16. They have played like the mid-table team they are currently as seen from their 12th position in the Premier League.
United are a mid-table side
Erik ten Hag’s team selection was puzzling to say the least, with full-back Noussair Mazraoui selected to play as the attacking midfielder in club captain Bruno Fernandes’ absence.
And despite a match-winning display last weekend, Rasmus Hojlund found himself of the bench with the out-of-form Joshua Zirkzee selected to play up top on his own.
The Moroccan last played in that position back in 2019 when he was at Ajax under the same manager and despite the presence of Amad Diallo on the bench and Zirkzee’s ability to slot in there, Ten Hag went with Mazraoui.
Ten Hag could have started Eriksen there in the same formation he had put up in the second half after conceding which saw Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro marshall the midfield while Lisandro Martinez moved into defence.
Instead, his move meant the Morocco international struggled as expected while the Netherlands forward also looked like a player who is regretting making the switch to the English giants.
And from beginning the season as a guaranteed starter, Amad has fallen below Antony in the pecking order, another surprising observation.
INEOS spent a lot of money trying to fix a leaky defence and a struggling forward line and arguably, things are worse than before.
Puzzling team selections from EtH
The 20-time English league champions do not look like they can manage a clean sheet in Europe while goals continue to elude their forwards.
Injuries meant Victor Lindelof started at the heart of the defence, and it is surprising to see how long the Swede has lasted at the club despite not doing anything of note.
He was at fault for the goal scored by Youssef En-Nesyri. And if not for Andre Onana, things could have gotten worse for the visitors. At least there was entertainment for fans with former boss Jose Mourinho seeing red in typical fashion.
Ten Hag seems unable to conjure up any real momentum with his team struggling due to the chaos ball tactics employed while his team selection continues to puzzle. This is set to be a long season for fans at this rate!
Feature image Burak Kara via Getty Images
