Erik ten Hag must try new Man United tactic vs Fenerbahce, there is a rare opportunity

He very rarely misses games, but Bruno Fernandes is suspended for Manchester United’s trip to Fenerbahce on Thursday night after being questionably sent off against Porto.

In the past, United have never had a real option to replace Fernandes for the few games he has been out and have often struggled without him. United’s attacking depth is stronger now, and whilst there are no like-for-like replacements for Fernandes there are solutions that can be tried.

One particular solution is something that fans have been particularly interested to see since the signing of Joshua Zirkzee in the summer, and that is a front two of the Dutchman and Rasmus Højlund.

Given the type of centre forward Zirkzee is and how that differs from Højlund – who is probably the main man in that position for Manchester United – it looks very complimentary on paper.

Some have asked to see Zirkzee actually start in the number 10 position behind Højlund as opposed to playing them in a front two, and this could also be tried although would be more difficult unless he was playing in some sort of second striker position – arriving in the #10 zones from an advanced position is very different to starting in those zones and the former is what closer fits Zirkzee’s game.

United used a front two in the closing games of last season, in a diamond formation, which worked well and fans have been intrigued to see it as an option. Zirkzee could either play in the front two with Højlund in this setup, or he could operate at the tip of a diamond in something of a ‘false nine’ role with Højlund and another forward drifting wider to create width in the attack.

With Fernandes out, United do need to try something. Zirkzee’s ability dropping in is the main appeal of his game and he has the ability to take players out of the game and move his team up the pitch by doing this.

Despite his size, Zirkzee is a player who thrives in the small spaces and pairing him with Højlund gives him a player in close proximity to him, which will help both him and the Danish striker with linking up play, bouncing off each other.

Zirkzee dropping in can make space for Højlund and any of United’s other forwards to operate in and even open up runs in behind by pulling defenders out of position. The passing range of Casemiro could be used too, using Zirkzee to bounce the ball into him to try and release the likes of Højlund and Marcus Rashford in behind the Fenerbahce defence in any moments where they are defending high.

For a lot of the game though, former United boss Jose Mourinho’s side will most likely defend deep and compact and this is where the distances between Zirkzee and his fellow attackers can allow for quick combinations and movements that destabilise their backline, which United must exploit.

For the first hour away to Crystal Palace, United dominated the mini-rondo situations they were generating across the pitch and generally pinned the Eagles back, creating a lot of opportunities. It could be a similar story here, although this time United must take their opportunities.

Zirkzee is an interesting case, he is not quite an out and out number nine but has clear talent that can be used to good effect within this squad. With Fernandes out, this could be one way to use it.

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