Jose Mourinho is one of the world's best sellers – Samuel Luckhurst

It was in Turin on Manchester United's first European Cup tie at Juventus that Alex Ferguson truly gauged how to win a challenge. The devices of such lethal cunning must have felt as impossible as Indiana Jones's at the Stadio delle Alpi.

For 19 years, United's 1-0 reverse that night in Turin in 1996, saw their Champions League group stage defeat. Alen Boksic's winner, a culmination of individual errors that stemmed from a Gary Neville throw-in with Juve goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi's 18-yard box, highlighted between Ferguson's fledglings and Marcello Lippi's lieutenants. Nicky Butt, tracking Boksic, kept on running as Zinedine Zidane pierced the wonky line of defense. A savvier player would have let Boksic fall into the offside trap.

"We lost 1-0 to Turin, but it could have been 10-0," Neville later recalled. Manchester United played 90 minutes without a shot, without a sniff, it was the biggest battering. of a chance It's the only time that happened in my 602 games. "

"We could have lost by more," Ferguson conceded that evening. "If you lose ownership at this level they will cut your throats." We were naive. That was the first of eight encounters with Bianconeri and Ferguson 'developed an immense respect for Juventus, a class act from top to bottom'.

For at least an hour last month, there were shades of Juve '96 stroll over United. At times it resembled a training ground match between the first-team and the junior and the narrow scoreline was, again, midleading. The visitors' superiority was so patent Jose Mourinho declared Juventus Group H winners-elect halfway through. That remark – and his allusion to Europe's elite of Manchester City – evoked memories of David Moyes '' aspires '' quote in the same seat and same room in 2014.

Has been aflawed and creaky squad, and has been a champion in the past. You could be forgiving for associating with Paul Pogba in the past, but that time has passed and they have been separated. Mourinho's realism is more forgivable.

The reaction to United's defeat was histrionic in some sections. What are you going to do in the past? What did you do in the past? What did you do? Well, what did you do?

United has played Jekyll and Hyde football domestically since the Newcastle revival but the Juventus yardstick is coming up ahead of their first encounter inside the Allianz Stadium.

It was Fenerbahce who inflicted a first European home defeat on United back in October 1996 and the next month Juventus prevailed by the same scoreline, yet United's performance was a marked improvement on the chastening Turin match. Butt's naive trip on Alessandro del Piero separated the teams and the Italian hammered a penalty past Peter Schmeichel. Seven of the starters for the 'battering' in Italy two months ago and Peruzzi was much more active. Maturity was obvious.

There are parallels with that period this month. The manager acknowledges United's inferiority, the return leg is being played in the United States. Back in '96, they had leaked 13 goals in the first league.

Mourinho's United have been awarded one in the Premier League, which is not a wholly accurate reflection on their 'goals for' column. They have won one of their six domestic triumphs by a two-goal margin and that lacks a 'killer instinct' – as Mourinho put it – skews the quality of their attack. In the second-half alone at Bournemouth, Asmir Begovic foiled Luke Shaw, Alexis Sanchez and Jesse Lingard, two efforts were blocked and Ashley Young smacked the crossbar.

That front foot approach has occurred in a first-half of the world and has resulted in their heaviest loss. Their dominance against Tottenham in August would have been rewarded for Romelu Lukaku's shoddy shot at an open goal and in the second-half United collapsed.

Now Mourinho is managing United against the best teams in Italy and England Mourinho has set up boldly against both.

He retained the 4-2-3-1 formation against Juventus two weeks ago and misguidedly used that set-up twice in both home league defeats to City. Lukaku, Lingard, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, and Marcus Rashford were all just a little different. A midfield trident is essential against Pep Guardiola's champions and Mourinho's wins against City have come in a 4-3-3.

The recent reversion to that formation, with the flaky Fred, has been a success – two wins out of two and a long period of control. United would be benefiting from the professional pest Ander Herrera harrying Miralem Pjanic and Blaise Matuidi, granted too much respect at Old Trafford last month. The Basque is also indispensable at the Etihad on Sunday.

If you want to avoid a battery.