Arsenal 0-0 Manchester United : Five Talking Points

Giroud misses his mark yet again

Whilst it is true that Olivier Giroud was brought in to replace the Dutchman on the opposing side, the truth is that the two aren’t similar in the least bit. The sight of Giroud wasting his chances and looking at the sky has become a sight that has become worryingly common for Arsenal fans. Against United, the Frenchman once again did just that, as he had at least four presentable opportunities and was unable to take any of them.

The familiar sight of Giroud failing against the Premier League’s elite continued as he hasn’t scored in the league in seven subsequent matches against Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool (twice), Everton and Man United (twice) since his last goal against Tottenham in September.

Caution was in the air at the Emirates

Both teams came into this game knowing fully well that defeat might spell disaster. As a result, the match resembled a chess end-game, where both teams were more than happy with a point, without ever going for the kill. With either side unwilling to take the risk for fear of failure, the match never quite lived up to the spectacle.

Caution was in the air as neither sides looked particularly threatening in the attacking third. Both sides struggled for control, and although Arsenal edged the possession, they were unable to create too many chances and when they did, their profligacy in front of goal, cost them dear.

At the end of the day, both managers would have been happy with the point and whilst Arsène Wenger would have wanted more, he would have been pleased to have taken Anfield humiliation out of their system.

Moyes manages to rekindle an old flame

For the first time in a really long time, United looked solid at the back as they notched up only their third away clean sheet all season. The lack of defensive solidity had often been their downfall this season and for the first time they took a safety-first approach and were hard to beat.

Unlike their other matches thus far, they were compact in defense and much was the result of the reuniting of an old flame in Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand in the center of defense. The familiarity at the back, was more than sufficient as that halted their ability to self-destruct, which was their undoing on many occasions already this season.

The defensive solidity meant that there was a strong foundation from which to launch counterattacks. And it almost worked when Van Persie combined with Wayne Rooney, only for Wojciech Szczesny to tip the header on to post.

Arsenal struggle to find a response, whilst Moyes got what he came for

Before the game, Wenger spoke of the game against United being the “defining moment in Arsenal’s season” and that a response was vital. And, whilst they started anxiously and slowly gathered momentum, they were still unable to go any further than third gear. They looked like a car which wanted to go very fast, but were stuck in traffic and as a result, they couldn’t mount a strong enough challenge to come away with all three points.

Their inability to create clear cut chances played into the hands of United, who were more than happy to sit back and soak up the pressure. In the end, Moyes would have been the happier man, when the final whistle blew, as he finally had a performance that he could be proud of.

Ozil and Mata hampered by tactics

Signed for huge sums of money, Messrs Mesut Özil and Juan Mata are under the pump right from the off to create chances for the team and score with nonchalant ease. Unfortunately for the duo, whilst they are more than capable of doing just that, the formation of both managers left a lot be desired for. Both players thrive in the center of the pitch, where they can use the space to create goal scoring opportunities.

But both played a majority of the game in positions not best suited to them. Whilst the Spaniard was posted on the left and couldn’t find the pockets of space to work with, Özil was much better than he was against Liverpool, but that wasn’t saying much. Both played with a lot of dexterity, but they weren’t their usual self. The sooner they are played in their preferred role, the better it is for both teams.