CSKA Moscow 1-1 Manchester United: 5 Talking Points

CSKA Moscow maintained their unbeaten run at Arena Khimki after playing an energetic 1-1 draw with Manchester United. Seydou Doumbia scored for the hosts from a rebound after David De Gea saved Roman Eremenko’s penalty in the first half after an Anthony Martial handball.But Martial then pulled things back for the English side just after the hour mark with a smart header. The draw leaves the group quite open as both the teams are level on 4 points in the group behind leaders VFL Wolfsburg.Here are the five talking points from this game.

#1 Mysterious Martial

Anthony Martial is having one rollercoaster month is his young career. After being awarded the Player of the Month in England, the teen prodigy has been quiet ever since. He was far from his imperious best against Arsenal and a positional change against Everton did him no favours at all even though he was still one of the brightest players for his team in both games.

Against Moscow, he was having a shocker of a game where he conceded the penalty via a silly handball. More than the heinous offence in the box, what was hurting both Martial and United was his lack of tracking back in the first half.

He gave Mario Fernandes acres of space to surge ahead and also didn’t track back, leaving Marcos Rojo in a fix for most of the first half. His failed take-ons and dribbles also made matters worse.

He wasn’t having a great second half either till he scored the equaliser out of the blue. His knack of scoring goals is undoubtedly world class, but his other aspects of the game are far from the finished product.

The former Monaco man is still a mystery to both fans and opposition alike and this is a double-edged sword for both player and the club. Once the mystery surrounding him is gone, the real test will begin for him from then on.

#2 Moscow run out of steam in second half

Leonid Slutsky’s team would be gutted for letting Manchester United off the hook and letting them walk away with a point from Moscow. The home team began to fizzle away after a bright start and a fairly competitive first half as the game wore on.

United’s possession-based football meant they were harmless to the home team for large swathes of the game. On the flipside, it also helped the visitors in winding the hosts down as the game progressed. The English club switched gears post the hour mark which shocked Moscow and also made them chase the game then on.

They were lethal on the right-hand side which led to the creation of their best chances. But once the right flank was tightened up by the United gaffer in the second half, the home team failed to find ideas to unlock an underprepared United defence.

#3 Marouane Fellaini - The Joker of the pack

Marouane Fellaini was one of the most influential members of Louis van Gaal’s starting lineup in the last quarter of the 2014/15 season. However, this season has been a mixed bag for the former Everton midfielder.

But he has always been the Dutch manager’s go-to man in the dire situations this season. Van Gaal has tweaked the role of Fellaini in his new set up. The Belgian was used more as a target man and a focal point to all his attacks last season whereas now he is used more as a deep-lying midfield runner.

In recent weeks, Fellaini is used as a midfielder who plays as a false 10. He drops deep to contribute in the build-up play and also makes his presence felt in the opposition box when required. This new dimension makes Fellaini a lethal utility player for the Red Devils where he can create space either for himself or his fellow attackers.

The 26-year-old midfielder may not be an ace in Van Gaal’s deck, but he is surely the joker who fixes things up for him and acts a definitive plan B. Only time will tell whether this is Van Gaal’s latest tactical masterstroke.

#4 CSKA\'s pace battery fail to dazzle

CSKA Moscow are still unbeaten at home this season and they will be kicking themselves to let Manchester United get away after a competitive first half. One of the major reasons why United returned from Arena Khimki with a point is the home team’s lack of potency in the second half.

The quick forwards like Ahmed Musa, Seydou Doumbia and Zoran Tosic failed to significantly trouble a fresh United backline which lacked coordination. After some tantalizing forays made in the first half, the home team just couldn’t step it up in the game after the hour mark.

Ahmed Musa and Zoran Tosic grew significantly isolated as the game progressed. Seydou Doumbia too after scoring off the saved penalty cut a forlorn figure in the game. Much was said and written about CSKA’s counter-attacking style and their pace to hit teams on break, but sadly they barely troubled United in that regard.

The most penetrative and lethal forays came from the right flank where the full-back Mario Fernandes used the space gifted to him by Anthony Martial in the first half. This signifies the failure of CSKA’s frontline against a shaky United defence.

#5 The Bastian Schweinsteiger conundrum

Bastian Schweinsteiger has brought the much needed calm and composure into this United midfield. After making a slow start to his Old Trafford career, there is a belief amongst the fans and management alike that the German has finally settled in at the club.

But of late, the former Bayern man has been more of a weakling for United. His vulnerability against opposition midfielders who are quick in transition and also play with an intense pressing tactic was exposed against Arsenal and it was duly exploited by CSKA Moscow as well.

Moscow’s midfield smartly hurried Schweinsteiger when he tried to push on in the opposition half or tried to pick his pass in the final third. The advanced midfielders of CSKA played a key part in closing the passing channels for the German midfielder.

The Fussbalmeister made United very predictable and one-dimensional in the first half and tt seems the opposition managers have found a way to negate Schweinsteiger’s influence in the game. And this is ominous for Louis van Gaal and Manchester United.