Man Utd so terrible vs Alkmaar it made scrappy Arsenal draw look like a footy feast – The Sun

IT WAS EIGHTIES NIGHT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED in The Hague.

The ball was bouncing off the artificial pitch at the stadium where AZ Alkmaar are lodging like it was Luton’s Kenilworth Road back in the day.

The Eurocheese music was the sort of thing you would have heard on a package holiday to Benidorm.

And, most shockingly, United were summoning up unhappy memories of their long spell in the wilderness with a performance that rolled back the years in all the wrong ways.

We’re talking the dog days of Dave Sexton’s reign before he was put out of his misery in 1981.

At least Old Trafford still stands intact, unlike the Alkmaar stadium whose roof collapsed in August and forced the Dutch club to relocate temporarily to Den Haag’s home ground.

But this was another night on which it felt like another bit of the empire Sir Alex Ferguson’s built crumbled away.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made eight changes from the disappointing draw against Arsenal, fair enough.

But the starting 11 still contained seven full internationals, plus four highly-rated youngsters.

And this display made Monday night’s mean rations look like a feast of football.

Alkmaar, who sit third in the Eredivisie, were comfortably outplaying the 20-time champions of England.

Because Solskjaer’s side looked like what they currently are in this drab stalemate – the 10th best team in the Premier League.

In midfield, especially, they were desperate.

Nemanja Matic’s first touch was appalling.  The search for whatever it is that persuaded United to part with £50m for Fred was further away than ever from finding an answer.

As a team, they could barely string five passes together.  They hardly created a chance and if substitute Jesse Lingard had snatched a winner from a late chance it would have been a travesty.

The only world-class thing about United was the travelling support.

They kept up the noise for the whole match but the songs they sang were fond reminders of a time gone by.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy – one for the locals – Eric Cantona, Andy Cole and other heroes of the glory days were praised by the faithful.

Anything to forget the unholy mess on the plastic pitch in front of them.Man Utd fans in hysterics as Daniel James is dwarfed by his mascot before Europa League clash with Alkmaar

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