Syed Shaiban
It was a night to forget at Istanbul for Manchester United as poor performance saw them lose to Fenerbahce, putting the qualifications from the group right in balance. The game plan went out of the window within the two minutes itself as Moussa Sow scored an absolute stunner to beat David De Gea catching everyone by surprise.
Misery followed as Paul Pogba limped off the pitch in the first half itself and soon arrived Zlatan Ibrahimovic. United failed to threaten as usual in the first half and second half saw a superb free-kick for on-loan Sunderland forward Jermain Lens double the advantage of Fenerbahce.
Domination statistically is a routine for United and they failed to create any clear-cut opportunity despite a load of possession and a beautiful strike from Wayne Rooney in the dying moments was probably the only moment to be happy about for the traveling fans.
A loss means Manchester United must get a positive result against Feyenoord, probably a draw and have to defeat Zorya away to safely find a passage to the next round.
Here’s how the Red Devils have been rated after a disappointing show :-
GK : David De Gea – 6/10
Was caught off his line when Sow scored the stunner but he made good saves to keep the damage minimal.
RB : Matteo Darmian – 4/10
Too many reckless passes and gave away the possession way too many times.
CB : Daley Blind – 5/10
Put in challenges and kept the flow going. Disappointing nonetheless.
CB : Marcos Rojo – 4.5/10
Not a good display after having positive matches recently. He was caught off position on many occasions. Has to improve or he might as well lose his place in the team.
LB : Luke Shaw – 4/10
Inefficient going forward and didn’t really deliver attractive crosses. A really bad patch for the left back.
CM : Morgan Schneiderlin – 3/10
Very ineffective and almost nonexistent. He was subbed off at half time. Not a good way to impress the manager when given chances.
CM : Ander Herrera – 6/10
He was probably one asset going forward. Let down as a whole though.
LW : Marcus Rashford – 6/10
Used his pace well but he looks ill-used down the flank. Was taken off early.
CAM : Paul Pogba – 5/10
Looked intent and demanding and started off looking like the fancied guy but an injury meant he was substituted off early.
RW : Anthony Martial – 5/10
Probably one player that looked interesting. Tried to pull off key passes and struggled for something positive but it was never enough.
ST : Wayne Rooney – 6/10
Starting as a striker, his touches were a big letdown as he scrambled with the earlier opportunities but he sparkled at the end and a wonder striker was the only major positive.
Subs:
Ibrahimovic – 4/10
Was brought on to replace Paul Pogba, but did nothing positive and was involved in some reckless duels.
Mata – 5.5/10
Came on to the pitch in half-time, but was unable to do his routine work.
Mkhitaryan – 6/10
Finally, an appearance for the Armenian and he looked better than his mates. Had half an hour to change the course, but his teammates let him down.
