Published: 18 August, 2012

by RICHARD OSLEY at the Emirates Stadium

 

Premier League

ARSENAL 0, SUNDERLAND 0

 

ARSENE Wenger described losing star striker Robin Van Persie to Manchester United as part of the 'brutal reality' of modern football. It looked even more brutal this afternoon as the Gunners brought together everything apart from a killer touch up front against an ultra-defensive Sunderland team.

 

New signings Santi Cazorla and Lukas Poldoski looked busy, clever players who will at some stages this season do sensational things. But what Arsenal needed to get the crucial breakthrough in this lukewarm season opener was a world class finisher up front, a gobbler of half chances, a scorer of the spectacular… a Robin Van Persie.

 

The Gunners dominated possession but clear cut chances were at a premium. The best fell to substitute Olivier Giroud, signed early in the summer in anticipation that Van Persie might announce his future lay away from Ashburton Grove. With ten minutes left, Cazorla's vision picked him out with just the keeper Simon Mignolet to beat but he flashed his shot wide. His only chance to shine wasted, this was not the forward that Arsene Wenger watched scoring for French champs Montpellier last term.

 

As Giroud winced in disbelief, there was a collective hush as the Emirates wondered whether another Maroune Chamakh had joined the troops. Chamakh, a big money signing from summers past, did not even make the bench. Nor did Alex Song, who was ready to become a Barcelona with a fee now agreed between the two clubs over a long-predicted transfer. All of this meant that Arsenal fans arrived at the stadium to find Carl Jenkinson, Abou Diaby and Gervinho in the starting line-up – three players who home fans have often claimed perfectly show up the club's lack of title-winning strength in depth.

 

Gervinho, it turned out, was Arsenal's best performer. He looked lively, excited to be back but there were all too familiar runs into blind alleys and confused final passes. What was perhaps surprising was the Gunners lack of urgency in the afternoon sun. Per Mertesacker and Jenkinson were still exchanging passes across the back row, keeping possession in the last five minutes.

 

There seemed to be no driving impression that Arsenal had to get three points or else today. With opening matches that might not be the case and the Gunners have a habit of drawing their first matches of the season yet still returning to the top four by May. But there are harder matches than this in the first trenche of matches and to pull just one point at home against a clawless Sunderland may highlight the need for further spending before the transfer deadline closes at the end of the month.

 

Cazorla thrashed two long rangers wide, Podolski flipped a free kick over the bar, Theo Walcott looked energetic and creative without ever raising too much of a pulse and that was about it. Arsenal are playing catch up already.

 

ARSENAL: Szczesny, Jenkinson, Gibbs, Vermaelen (captain), Mertesacker, Arteta, Diaby, Gervinho, Cazorla, Walcott, Podolski

Man of the match: Gervinho

Attendance: 60,078