Translated by- Mohamed Sabe: The dismal performance given by Arsenal and Manchester United in their “derby” game that ended in a goalless draw came to reflect the crisis that both powerhouses are going through.

The once anticipated Premiership clash lacked its usual flare and intensity, with the exception of the final 20 minutes that witnessed a number of wasted chances marked by the naivety of both defenses and the foolishness of the strikers who squandered them.

Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger fielded Thierry Henry as a lone striker with the hope of controlling midfield, which would have worked efficiently if the French ace wasn’t forced to fall back and support his teammates in midfield.

Even though Wenger’s strategy worked in the past against teams like Everton and Portsmouth, it proved offensively impotent against a top-notch team like United, even if they weren’t their usual selves.

What surprising is that Wenger continues to adopt this strategy even though it proved worthless on the European level where opponents realized the way to make the Gunners shoot blanks was to aggressively hold them in midfield.

The fact that Arsenal lost a lot of points in the first round of the Premiership will put the players under pressure as they struggle to secure a Champions League spot for next season, which in turn could threaten Henry’s future at Highbury.

Meanwhile, the situation isn’t any better for Man United, despite Sir Alex Ferguson’s contrary belief.

And perhaps the strongest proof of United’s predicament is that Ferguson found himself forced to play defenders and strikers alike in a defensive midfield role, leaving young and inexperienced players like Alan Smith, Darren Fletcher and John O’Shea to fill the void left by skipper Roy Keane.

On the other hand, some of United’s more experienced players like Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville have approached the end of their football career, which leaves Ferguson and Co. with the tough task of finding suitable replacements before its too late.

In short, Tuesday’s encounter marked an end of an era for two of England’s football giants and opened the door for two other teams, Chelsea and Liverpool, to step into the spot light, thanks to the creativity and enthusiasm of Jose Mourinho and Rafael Benitez who are sure to carry on the torch.