I can understand why Manchester United fans are frustrated. Another 0-0 game at home, the third at Old Trafford in a month, is not what supporters expect.
They are used to seeing their team being one of the best in the world, one of the three or four genuine contenders for the Uefa Champions League. They do not expect 0-0 draws at home to teams from the Netherlands.
United have a history of great European matches; I know, I played in some. Two stick out: Glasgow Rangers, at home, when I scored one of my favourite ever goals. Then a 4-3 win over Real Madrid at Old Trafford, which I did not play in but had the privilege of watching.
European nights were special at Old Trafford. The atmosphere was better than for Premier League games; the floodlights added to the appeal, the top players, the different away supporters, who always made the most of a trip to Old Trafford.
Our strategy was to attack and win. It never changed, home or away. That is how it is at the biggest clubs. When you get two clubs with that mentality you get games like Manchester United 4 Real Madrid 3.
The only time we would change was if we had a man sent off. We did not worry about our opponents, we focused on ourselves because we knew our strengths were greater than theirs. In Manchester, we would come up against some technically excellent European teams and our tactic was to attack them non-stop, at speed.
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Playing in slower domestic leagues, they were not used to it. We would stun them, the crowd would be on top of them, the balls came straight back in from throw-ins – under strict orders from our manager, Alex Ferguson. Opponents did not have a minute to breathe. I can remember us doing this and beating Juventus in 2003. In fact, we beat them at home and 3-0 away and I played in both. Magnificent results.
And that has changed, but I have some sympathy for Louis van Gaal. United underwent a massive change when Ferguson left. The club did not just lose the man who controlled everything, they also lost the chief executive, several coaches and, in the space of a short time, several players who had spent their lives there, like Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, players with thousands of games between them.
It takes time and patience to recover from that and get back to the top, but the demands of the fans did not change. They still expected United to compete with the best, despite United not being the best any more.
Football has changed, too. Teams are more equal, unless they are playing Barcelona. Look at the Premier League table; the fear factor has decreased. It is the same in international football. Teams in the major leagues are full of international players from around the world. That means that the mystique, aura and fear of coming up against world-class players has gone.
If you are a South American player in the Premier League then you will play against every good English player because they all play there. If you are a Uruguayan in Spain then you will play against Lionel Messi twice a year, at least. So when you play for your country against him you are not scared. If you are a PSV Eindhoven player then your paths will have crossed with United players across various leagues.
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There are other factors that make it harder for United. Because of the huge television deal in England, mid-table Premier League teams are rich enough to afford very good footballers.
Of course, it is better to be a first teamer at the biggest clubs, but most want to become a Premier League player. You are in the best league in the world for an overall package, the most competitive one and the fairest league with the way the television money is distributed, even if La Liga is technically superior. It is the league where the stadiums are always full, the games broadcast around the world.
I can see that United fans are frustrated with the style of football and lack of goals, and the players must take some responsibility, too, especially the big ones, the most talented ones who can change games.
Beating PSV at home is not like beating Real Madrid at home. PSV are a far smaller club than United, yet they beat United in Eindhoven and drewin Manchester on Wednesday. Whatever people say about the missed chances or the possession stats for United, the result is the only thing that people will remember.
Van Gaal knows this and while the Champions League has been disappointing for him so far this season he also knows that the only thing which will keep him in a job is his results.
He is getting those results in the Premier League, though going to Wolfsburg and needing a victory on the final group matchday to stay in the Champions League is probably a bit more uncomfortable than the fans would have hoped for.
It could be much worse, they could be watching Chelsea.
sports@thenational.ae
