Manchester United 0-0 Newcastle United: 5 talking points

A resolute Newcastle defence snuffed out every threat that Manchester United had to offer and came mighty close to stealing it all on a couple of occasions. The battle of two Uniteds ended in a draw at Old Trafford in the Premier League’s early kick-off on Saturday.Seven points and a third consecutive clean sheet for Louis van Gaal and the Red Devils would really be considered a good return after three rounds of games in the Premier League. However, today’s goalless draw against Newcastle would leave the Dutchman and the Manchester United faithful with the feeling of an empty harvest.While, Manchester Untied enjoyed the lion’s share of the possession in both halves, Newcastle stuck to their task and eked out a vital point. Newcastle embodied the “immovable object” adjective to the core and were good value for their point themselves. A few inches either side and they themselves would have romped back to Tyneside with all three points in the bag.Aleksander Mitrovic produced, probably the best moment of the game as he met Chancel Mbemba’s cross with nearly the utmost of precisions, rattling the home team’s woodwork at the half and hour mark.Let’s analyse the five biggest talking points from this feisty encounter at Manchester today.

#1 The Rooney drought continues

10 games (858 minutes) without a goal. Not a line you associate with Wayne Rooney but, that how it’s been going for the Manchester United talisman of late. Rooney was again played upfront today, but yet again failed to find the back of the net.

Except for an early chance, which was ruled offside, the England international really didn’t looking like the imposing threat he has looked in his previous years. It was a matter of inches and the decision could have gone either way. He is clearly making the runs and doing the hard work, but he needs either a) better service from the players around him or b) another frontman to play off.

With the departure of both Falcao and Robin van Persie, Manchester United have appeared to look a bit thin up front in their first few games this season. This was even more emphasised in today’s encounter. The England international no longer possesses that tremendous burst of speed and was sub-par with some of his hold up play and touches. They neither quite seemed to have a focal point in their attack, nor were quick or methodical enough in the passing and movement to create hullabaloo inside Newcastle’s penalty area.

Chicharito was again his “even moving” present in the final moments of the game, but not enough to make the absence of a classical centre-forward go unnoticed.

#2 A ray of hope for Newcastle

The Newcastle defence had come for lot of stick in recent times and deservedly so. The Magpies have shipped in four goals in their opening two rounds of games and currently are the team with the worst defensive record in the Premier League in the calendar year, having conceded 39 goals in 2015, coming into the game.

This performance, however, was in stark contrast to their recent form at the back. The centre-back pairing of Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor attacked every ball coming in from the wings, won a number of crucial tackles and blocked every shot they had a chance of (9 shots blocked out of 20 attempted by Manchester United). Even at the heart of the midfield, Vurnon Anita and Jack Colback grafted away throughout the game to give Newcastle the aura of a formidable side that they were this season.

In fact, many in the Newcastle corner can consider themselves unlucky having produced two of the biggest goal-mouth actions in the game. New signings Aleksander Mitrovic and Florain Thauvin were both a whisker away from clinching the all-decisive goal for Newcastle and bri

The mishappenings of last season still looms large over Tyneside and with the visit of Arsenal on the cards, things don’t get easier any time soon for the Toons. However, this resolute performance should be a shot in the arm for Steve McLaren and co. A great point from where they can kick-start their campaign.

#3 Chris Smalling on the rise

Chris Smalling has been a divisive figure amongst Manchester United fans in recent years. The talent is undoubted but his lack of consistency at the back, has often resulted in people coming back to question if this was not another case of another player failing to realise his potential.

Smalling might not have been met with the most stern of challenges so far in his first three games, but then again that’s not on him. What’s on him is to churn out efficient, nonplussed performances week in week out. And that’s something he has been doing with the utmost ease this season. If not for Vurnon Anita, Smalling would have also delivered a third successive victory on the plate for Manchester United.

Chris Smalling ability to lead the pack at back has been a large factor as to why the back four has been able to gift Van Gaal with three clean sheets in as many games in the Premier League. Even today, except for Mitrovic's one superb header, the England international was able to run a tight leash on the beast of a forward.

He might still might be a still bit way off from turning a corner, but he is certainly rounding the bends.

#4 A bit more patience for Newcastle fans

A lot of the general football crowd are quick to associate the word “impatience” with the Toon Army. Well, think about this. They are probably England’s biggest mystery having not won any piece of silverware for six decades and yet flock St James’ Park every week by the thousands, making it one of the Meccas of football in England. How is that for patience?

Few believed owner Mike Ashley’s words when he came out and spoke in public of last season. His promise of spending money and punching above their weight in the transfer market was met with much skepticism. However, a week to go in the summer transfer window and Newcastle sit in second only to Manchester City when it comes to net money spent on acquisitions. In fact, only four clubs accross Europe have spent more money than the Magpies this summer.

A popular banner that was unfurled in many a Newcastle game last season read “We don’t demand a club that wins, but one that tries”. By the looks of things today, they certainly have one. Aleksander seemed to look totally at home starting in his first Premier League game. Georginio Wijnaldum is already proving to be a real general in the midfield. Even Chancel Mbemba, in his unfamiliar position at right-back adapted quite well as the game went on. Florian Thauvin will have his day to shine.

With prospects like Adam Armstrong, who is setting League One alight; Rolando Aarons, who looks more promising with every outing and the promise of seeing Siem de Jong at his best one day again, the future doesn’t look so dull at Tyneside all of a sudden.

They might be light in a couple of places and yet to totally bed in under Steve McLaren, but it’s way too early to take out the judgment sticks. However, a single win in their previous fourteen Premier League games carrying over from last season still has left a wide gash in the heart of the Toon Army and it will take some time to fix that on Steve McLaren’s part as well.

#5 Both clubs still needs strengthening

While Manchester United clearly need a the presence of what we can generally term as the “20 goal forward”, they also need some massive improvement in their play in general. After seemingly taking a step forward with their performance against Club Brugge in mid-week, the Red Devils got off the blocks like a 100m sprinter. Not only was their play positive, but their passing and movement was in a word ‘delicious’.

However, as the game wore on, their play became blunt and everything else was just indecisive. They lacked a plan in the final third and it was like someone had to instigate something rather than the whole team being in-sync with each other. They lacked spark as Memphis Depay and Adnan Januzaj tried their heart out and sometimes tried just a tad too much to create the magic.

Nobody can say that Manchester United’s summer has been a fruitless one. However, Woodward should really be heading out to the airport again if he wants the Premier League trophy to pay a visit to Old Trafford anytime soon.

For Newcastle, the spending so far has been unprecedented as pointed out earlier. However, their misadventures in the transfer in previous summer and January windows have left them with gaping holes all over the pitch. The suspension of Daryl Janmaat had left them without a natural right-back in the squad. Their defensive trio of Fabricio Coloccini, Steven Taylor and Mike Williamson are not getting younger and are in fact the only constant from the team that won promotion back to the Premier League in 2010.