PSV, who are third on seven points, will qualify if they beat bottom-placed CSKA Moscow at home in their final game.
Advertisement
The Red Devils registered yet another goalless draw, their fifth of the season in all competitions.
An anonymous Manchester United star has reportedly admitted that he is “half the player” under Louis van Gaal.
“Normally when I change it goes better but today it was not like that, so I was also very disappointed that my changes didn’t give an improvement”. It’s not a effect of good performances and bad performances. United were once a team of risk-takers; now, for the most part, they like to play it safe. Yet in the next game, we could score out of nothing. “But coming into the Champions League games, we saw it as probably the toughest one so we’ve given ourselves a lot of hard work to do”.
Michael Owen has joined the growing chorus of former Manchester United players criticising the current team after he claimed Sir Alex Ferguson’s side would “blow away” their Champions League group.
The best opportunities fell to Jesse Lingard: his footwork let him down in the 21st minute, with the ball running through to PSV goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet after a clever stepover from Martial, before he later blazed over the crossbar from a central position in the second half.
“We won our home game against them, so why can we not win away?”
And when asked after the PSV match if the team were ruthless enough, United captain Rooney told BT Sport: “No, we’re not. Then, the next game you can score out of nothing – that is football”. “I thought that with this line-up, we had the best chance to win and you never know whether that would have happened if Mata had played from beginning”, the Red Devils boss explained. This performance will do nothing to ease questions about the style of play under Van Gaal – once again, the spark of the old United was just not there.
“The result is disappointing because I have still the feeling we could have finished this game several times, in the first half more than the second”. “We even got more space in midfield and on the sides”.
Advertisement
Van Gaal must now rally his players for Saturday’s trip to surprise Premier League leaders Leicester City, when top spot will be on the line. Their Mexican midfielder, Andres Guardado, showed some refined touches and towards the end of the first half they started to create some problems of their own.
