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| Manchester United's Jesse Lingard and Wayne Rooney look dejected after missing a chance to score |
THERE are plenty of parallels with Manchester United’s glorious recent past that remain horribly out of reach for Louis van Gaal, though he can now at least prepare for squeaky bum time.
Another bereft performance devoid of excitement and flair ensured that their Champions League ambitions became a lot more complicated as PSV Eindhoven comfortably kept their opponents at arm’s length.
Instead of travelling to Wolfsburg in a fortnight to see who tops Group B, United must now emerge victorious to be sure of reaching the knock-out stages.
Winning away in Europe has so far proved beyond them in the competition proper this term and to witness them stutter and stall here will hardly imbue Van Gaal’s confidence in his players or them in him.
A draw will not be good enough should PSV overcome CSKA Moscow in the Philips Stadion.
Had Jesse Lingard not struck the best chance of the night over the crossbar deep into the second-half progress would have been assured, but this is a United side that continues to turn the straight forward into the difficult.
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| Manchester United's Wayne Rooney looks dejected |
For all the criticism of the style of play under Van Gaal, here was essentially an attack-minded selection that tried to fathom a swashbuckling solution to the lack of sparkle. The manager could do with releasing the handbrake some more, but he should not take all the blame for the malaise.
Lingard and Memphis were stationed either side of Wayne Rooney who, himself, was deployed behind than Anthony Martial, yet it spoke volumes that the most illuminating passage came in the seventh minute in tribute to iconic No7 George Best.
On the tenth anniversary of his passing, Old Trafford briefly resembled a U2 concert as supporters held aloft their camera phones to produce a poignant light show.
Little about the football itself dazzled.
PSV had showcased themselves when winning the first encounter 2-1 back in September, a game overshadowed by the horrendous broken leg suffered by Luke Shaw, and needed a positive result for their own hopes. They were to leave by far the happier.
What chances there were belonged predominantly to United even if few were clear cut.
Memphis Depay battered a from 20-yards shot which Jeroen Zoet clutched to his mid-riff and, overall, the visiting supporters will have struggled to recognise their former hero such was his tepid contribution.
The goalkeeper then saved on his own line after Morgan Schneiderlin had toe-poked Daley Blind’s corner towards goal and, in between, Rooney played a cute pass which Martial allowed to run into Lingard’s path.
However, he miscontrolled just as he would have wanted to shoot and moment was gone.
Indeed, it was the 37th minute before a more glaring opportunity arrived. Lingard’ shot ricocheted kindly to Martial and he will feel he should have done better than to allow his effort to be saved by Zoet’s right heel.
Yet it was noticeable that during a break in play towards the end of a largely joyless opening half, a heated Rooney was spotted in deep discussion with both Blind and Smalling, gesticulating over the need for improvement.
United ended on the front foot, Martial forcing Zoet to be alert at his near post, but the emphasis always seems to be on patience simply because of the sheer lack of pizzazz.
The failure to eke out an advantage brought a double change from Van Gaal just before the hour mark, though, initially at least, it was not the introduction of Juan Mata whose ability to unpick defences might have been a boon.
Instead Marouane Fellaini and Ashley Young were introduced for Bastian Schweinsteiger and Memphis, whose night went downhill rapidly and whose goal against Watford last weekend does not appear to have been a launchpad for him to find his form.
His struggles continue as did those of United collectively.
The cry of “Attack, Attack, Attack” emanated from the Stretford End, but United had all but ceased to function in that capacity and PSV took encouragement.
The visitors looked increasingly menacing on the break with Chris Smalling forced to make on key interception to thwart momentum and David De Gea’s fingertips stung by Davy Propper’s blistering attempt from 30 yards.
Less than 60 seconds later came confirmation it was not to be United’s night.
Young wriggled beyond Hector Moreno and his cut back found Lingard eight yards out with the goal at his mercy. Leaning back it was all he could do to scoop the ball over the crossbar.
The last time United were held to a goalless draw at home in Europe was against Glasgow Rangers in September 2010. They reached the final that year before losing to Barcelona.
Reaching the last 16 seems a tall order this morning.
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Darmian (Mata 84), Smalling, Blind, Rojo; Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger (Fellaini 58); Lingard, Rooney, Memphis (Young 58); Martial.
Booked: Lingard
PSV Eindhoven (4-3-3): Zoet; Arias, Bruma, Moreno, Brenet; Propper, Hendrix (Isimit-Mirin 60), Guardado; Narsingh (Pereiro 18), De Jong, Locadia.
Booked: De Jong, Arias
Referee: Pavel Kralovec (Czech Republic)
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