Manchester United 0-0 West Ham United: 5 Talking Points

Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United lost out on an opportunity to capitalize on Manchester City’s loss to Stoke City when they played out yet another goalless draw with West Ham United at Old Trafford. In a topsy-turvy battle, neither team could provide a finishing touch to the many chances they created.The result sees United going down to fourth in the Premier League table while the Londoners find themselves climbing up to sixth. Here are the five major talking points from the game.

#1 Both teams fail to convert golden chances

A lot of goalless draws prove to be drab, dull affairs, whereas this match had enough to ponder in it for a neutral and surprises galore for the two sides’ fans. It was the Hammers who went close to breaking the deadlock when captain Mark Noble sent Nigerian Victor Moses through on goal but his shot thudded off the feet of United’s trusted custodian David De Gea.

Slaven Bilic’s side could really have taken the lead when, in a surprisingly incredible turn of events, De Gea’s fumble of the ball from Cresswell’s cross allowed Mauro Zarate to rebound it off Chris Smalling into the post. Soon the home crowd heaved a huge sigh of relief when, in a matter of minutes, Winston Reid found his headed effort from a corner bouncing off the post.

After services resumed post the first half Hammers missed possibly their chance of the match. This time, Zarate got onto an intelligent knock-down from Andy Carroll but he inexplicably smashed it wide. At the other end, French prodigy Anthony Martial was fed by Jesse Lingard, whose cutback found Fellaini who could only shoot straight at the sprawling Adrian; United’s solitary shot on target.

Van Gaal tried to change his side’s fortunes by bringing on Memphis Depay whose impressive wing play teed up Martial. The striker’s shot went inches wide of the West Ham goal. It was a night of ‘what could have been’ for both teams.

#2 Manchester United played at a higher tempo than usual

Every Red Devils fan would have loved to see the home side starting off on the right note, attacking with real purpose, and that is exactly what Manchester United was aiming to achieve. They began with intent and Marouane Fellaini, who replaced the injured captain Wayne Rooney in the starting lineup, was crucial in holding up play and was instrumental in much of United’s early play.

His physicality and aerial prowess proved to be a growing headache for the opposition defence as he went close twice in the early stages of the match at Old Trafford, a fixture the Hammers had lost seven successive times. Unlike the past performances from United recently, the early stages of the first half was an exhibition of a rather high-octane brand of football which saw Van Gaal’s side shifting gears slowly and steadily.

Even though they were almost jolted at the other end from an array of promising attacks from the Hammers, United encouragingly played without caution, sending out a message loud and clear to the faithful that at least today, offense was their foremost priority. A visibly higher tempo could be detected in their playing style and it was very soon obvious that they were going for nothing but victory.

However, a goal proved to be elusive for the Dutchman’s side as a wave of disappointment loomed over the stadium when referee Mark Clattenburg blew the final whistle.

#3 Defensive solidity of West Ham United

As many sides have found out the hard way, it will take way more than determined defending for any visiting side to deny an enterprising Manchester United side, buzzing with youthful vigour and effervescence, at their den in particular. Slaven Bilic’s side proved to be exactly that, with them executing their defensive plans to pure perfection.

They sought the towering presence of Winston Reid in marking United’s most dangerous aerial presence Marouane Fellaini, and the New Zealand national captain diverted the Belgian’s header from Paddy McNair’s dangerous cross agonizingly wide of the post; a mere matter of inches.

Reid showed his worth to the team half a dozen minutes later, when Jesse Lingard surged past two defenders in the left and produced a left-footed cross. Fellaini knocked it down for Martial whose brisk chest control and shot from point blank found Reid throwing himself on the firing line, conceding just a corner in the process.

The West Ham back four of James Tomkins, Angelo Ogbonna, Winston Reid and Aaron Cresswell was steadfast in defence, offering reinforcement and support to the goalkeeper and midfield, importantly not committing when it wasn’t required. A very vital tackle was made by Tomkins when he prodded the ball away from an unmarked Lingard who needed no second invitation to pounce at Fellaini’s pass.

Tomkins proved to be at his best again when he slid into Depay and prevented him from getting onto the ball. Three minutes into the injury time, when Smalling had directed the ball goalwards, a crucial block ensured both teams shared the spoils. The Hammers’ steely resolve was indeed a roadblock in United’s way to success.

#4 Sterile United midfield disappoints again

Even if critics might not look and label United’s performance as ‘poor’ by any stretch of imagination, its midfield was unfortunately almost in shambles. The Red Devils enjoyed the lion’s share of the possession, which comes as no surprise these days, but were ineffective in creating pockets of space for the offensive players, thanks to yet another lacklustre display from their much-acclaimed midfield generals.

The midfield seemed to be out of touch, in tatters and hindered the team’s penetration to a great extent from the centre of the pitch. It rarely offered the smooth fluid game style that we have so often come to associate with past United teams. Something is woefully amiss in Van Gaal’s side with respect to the midfielders.

Bastian Schweinsteiger barely resorted to taking any sort of risks by venturing forward and rendering support to the attack department while, on the other hand, Morgan Schneiderlin was a pale shadow of his Southampton self, even though he was engaged in a couple of tackles on the edge of his own area before being replaced by Michael Carrick.

The seasoned English veteran, however, gave a new perspective to the United attack by directly passing forward, straight into the feet of the strikers in the vicinity of the opposition box. The Red Devils midfield needs to be refurbished from its mundane build up into a polished manner of football before they go into the all-important final UEFA Champions League match against German side Wolfsburg on Wednesday.

#5 United strikers draw a blank again

No one can debate or dispute the fact that Louis van Gaal’s system has worked wonders with regards to curtailing goals from a defensive point of view. Chris Smalling and company have been true sticklers for well-oiled defending and it is hence from their performances that their striking counterparts have to take a leaf from, for their recent displays have been nothing short of mediocre.

United’s lack of flair in the offensive area has caused deep resentment and frustration on the part of the home crowd. With skipper Wayne Rooney missing out on what could have been his 500th appearance for the side, it was expected that Anthony Martial would shoulder the burden with responsibility.

However, the Frenchman’s poor decision making in crunch situations let the team down many times. Another cause of worry was the effort of Fellaini, which waned into a downward spiral as the match progressed, as he was rendered too one-dimensional and predictable.

Even though United had the odd spell of pressure here and there when it came to forward play, the usual spark was somewhat missing in what was a lousy performance from the frontline which clearly lacked ideas going forward. Adrian was seldom tested in West Ham’s goal.

United currently lacks any viable options, the consequence being that there is a real lack of off-the-ball movement, which is key in any attacking move. Hence, it is not just the missed chances but also the making of a well-knit striking unit that the Dutchman needs to quickly address before it gets too late to salvage.