Man Utd were back in Champions League action at Old Trafford with a much-changed side and a new manager, but the result was a familiar one.
The last time Old Trafford hosted Champions League football, it was a Manchester United side that felt unrecognisable to those inside a stadium famed for its iconic European nights.
Now, he is under some pressure. Despite the boos that have greeted back-to-back defeats, the supporters remain with him and a major injury crisis can't be overlooked. But this is unmistakably his team in a way it wasn't a year ago and it is underperforming. Quite significantly underperforming. It's worth rewinding to that Atletico game to understand the scale of the change Ten Hag has overseen at Old Trafford. Only three of the starting XI that night started this game and of the 16 players used, only four were involved against Galatasaray.
Ten Hag has overhauled the playing staff at the club and the playing style, but having earned success on a rigid defensive structure last season, he has tried to make them more aggressive this season and it is backfiring. They are defending dreadfully and giving away far too many good chances. But their team's aggressive, confrontational approach, also stoked up the home support and it was often electric in the second half as United pushed for the win they so badly needed. The smell of firecrackers and the sight of smoke drifting across the pitch was a reminder of the presence of those away fans, but the noise by now was coming from the rest of Old Trafford. It was also a reminder that this place remains united with the players and Ten Hag.
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