Erik ten Hag may have to reshuffle Omonia's lineup.

Stick with the game plan or take a different approach? That is the decision for Erik ten Hag.

The decision would have been simpler if Manchester United had won against Manchester City, but the way in which they lost presents him with a conundrum that he needs to think about.

A four-game winning streak in the league instilled confidence in a squad that appeared to be in shambles thanks to the efforts of the Dutchman, who did an outstanding job of banishing the demons of the first two losses of the campaign. Now it is up to him to achieve results that are comparable to those seen previously.

Despite appearances, the Europa League match against Omonia on Thursday in Cyprus is not the ideal follow-up to Sunday's thrashing at the Etihad Stadium. The match is scheduled to take place on Thursday. After suffering a devastating loss, the best way to respond is to pick yourself up and have a strong showing in the next game, as any top-tier footballer will tell you.

United are in a position where they cannot possibly win against the weaker teams in the competition. A win is absolutely necessary, and any other result, even a tie or a loss, would severely damage morale.

Ten Hag is forced to make a difficult choice as a result. On Sunday, they will have to travel to Goodison Park to face an Everton team that is currently unbeaten in seven games. This is a venue at which the run-in wheels fell off for them last season under Ralf Rangnick.

United are currently still two points outside of a playoff spot in the Premier League. The possibility of breaking into it with a victory serves as the motivating factor, elevating the significance of the match against Everton.

Ten Hag will want his players to be at their absolute best and completely prepared for the competition. However, he may believe that he needs to play a stronger team than he would have liked to have played against Omonia in order to instill belief in the side, which is something that he claimed his team lacked when they played City.

If this is the case, he will not only put the health of key personnel in jeopardy for the game on Sunday, but he also runs the risk of upsetting fringe players who are anticipating playing time in the Europa League. Because of postponements in the Premier League, many of them have not seen much action at all. This is because United was able to field their first-choice lineups in both of their previous group games.

On Sunday, the cameras focused in on an unused Cristiano Ronaldo who appeared despondent while sitting on the Etihad bench. They also focused in on Casemiro before he was brought on for a cameo that was uninspiring. Both will be looking to make an appearance sometime this week.

When rotations are made in other areas of the pitch, such as in central defense, the risk of an unexpected outcome increases because bench players are forced to play more significant roles. This is especially true when the team is playing away from home. Anything less than maximum points would be disastrous for the morale of the team.

After that, you'll face Newcastle, Tottenham, and Chelsea, with your home matchup against Omonia sandwiched in between. The matches between Sheriff and West Ham will bring the total number of games played in October up to nine.

Already looking to be a pivotal month in Ten Hag's debut season, this is the time when he will be put through the ringer and his mettle will be put to the ultimate test. The difficult decision that will have to be made on Thursday will be an important first step in restoring parity and, hopefully, a resurgence for United.