Pereira's Fenerbahçe pursue trophy haul

Fenerbahçe are still seeking trophies on three fronts thanks to a subtle shift in approach from Vítor Pereira, as Braga come to town in the UEFA Europa League round of 16.

When the Portuguese coach was hired last summer, it seemed a perfect fit – the former Porto boss being renowned for fielding sides that played offensively, a style that suited the attack-minded philosophy that has brought Fenerbahçe so much success.

Initially, it appeared the approach would be the same with Pereira deploying a two-man attack in pre-season friendlies, but unsatisfactory results and the sale of Moussa Sow prompted a switch to one up front. "We're more balanced playing with a lone striker," Pereira explained. "When we play with two forwards, our possession drops."

Having spent the majority of his coaching career in his native Portugal, Pereira studied the Turkish domestic game and adapted his methods accordingly, giving more attention to defensive security. "Wasted chances disturb me, but not more than goals conceded," he said.

In Pereira's system, high pressing, possession and stopping opposition counterattacks are vital elements, and in order to achieve that he has been using two holding midfielders. Mehmet Topal is an aggressive stopper, whereas Souza has the skill to support the attackers, Pereira adding: "If we had three attacking central midfielders, we would lose our balance."

With room for a solitary spearhead in Pereira's 4-2-3-1 formation, Robin van Persie has found his opportunities more limited than expected, Fernandão leading the line in his stead. Any dissatisfaction has been muted by Fernandão's 21 goals in all competitions.

Pereira has also shown himself capable of putting ego to one side, acting as an assistant coach to his usual deputy for December's Turkish Cup tie with Antalyaspor. And though a percentage of fans want Fernandão and Van Persie to play together, results have largely insulated the 47-year-old from criticism.

Central to that success has been the centre-back pairing of Simon Kjær and Bruno Alves, which has shipped just 19 Süper Lig goals this term – fewer than any other team – with Volkan Demirel keeping 12 clean sheets. Unbeaten at home in the league for over a year, leaders Fenerbahçe have lost only two top-flight games all season and were undefeated in 25 matches in all competitions before last month's loss at Antalyaspor.    

Vítor Pereira makes another Fenerbahçe tactical switch©AFP/Getty Images

Pereira has kept motivation and morale high with efficient squad rotation, particularly in the wide roles; Gökhan Gönül and Caner Erkin has swapped with Şener Özbayraklı and Hasan Ali Kaldırım, who have performed well when selected.

Attacking midfield has been more of a question mark, with Nani and Volkan Şen ineffective, Diego struggling to combine offensive and defensive duties and Lazar Marković too often injured. Pereira has responded by introducing Alper Potuk, whose speed has reinforced the attack.

"We are continuing to fight on three fronts and we're battling well," said Pereira, whose side average around 60% possession per game. "Maybe we'll win the treble; maybe we won't win anything. Sometimes players and coaches can have disagreements but it's important to be united.

"If we won something, we would win it as a team," added the Portuguese. "My experience tells me that you can win trophies if you are united. In my career, I've been at teams where there was no unity at first, then it was achieved. Now I'm having that again at Fenerbahçe."