That's what Robert Pires thinks, do you agree...

History repeated itself last night as Manchester United and Villarreal played out a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford in their opening Champions League group stage match. These two sides drew both games at the same stage in the competition back in 2005/6, when Villarreal made their Champions League debut, and United's campaign ended with a premature group stage exit.

Needless to say, Villarreal's Robert Pires was delighted with the result, after all, Manuel Pellegrini's side might even have walked off with all three points had Guille Franco's second-half shot gone in off the post, although no doubt United fans will point to Jonny Evans's late header against the woodwork. 

I managed to chat with Pires immediately after the final whistle -read the interview in full here - and his thoughts on United's performance confirmed what many in the press box suspected: the Villarreal player said that United might be tired and that their players seemed to be off the pace.

I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts on what the former Arsenal star had to say about United's performance and, not just your thoughts on the draw with Villarreal, but what is lacking at Manchester United so far this season.  After all, last night's draw extends a run that has now seen United win only once and score just four times in their opening five matches.

United lacked appetite and were very pedestrian in the defeat to Liverpool at the weekend, and I felt they were also sluggish last night: at least until the introduction of Ronaldo.

What are your thoughts on the issue, is it the result of having too many players (Gary Neville, Nani and Owen Hargreaves) returning from injury? Is it down to the lack of vision and invention in midfield in the absence of Scholes and Carrick?

It certainly seems as if Giggs, Brown and Vidic paid the price for their displays against Liverpool, although the inclusion of Evans paid off after he very nearly rewarded Ferguson with a goal. At least his solid performance bodes well for this weekend's game against Chelsea as Vidic misses the Premiership clash through suspension.
 

We've already had one email from a worried Manchester United fan, complaining that: "United are lacking in passion at the moment, and we rely too much on Ronaldo to lift the side."

Ironically, an Arsenal fan has been in touch, suggesting that his side "We were very lacklustre in Kiev last night, we are over dependent upon Fabregas, and when he isn't performing, Arsenal stop performing."

And this, on the same night when Robert Pires also said:  "This could be Arsenal's year. I just have a very good feeling about Arsenal this season. I don't know whether it will be the Premiership, or the Champions League, but I believe they will win at least one title this season. "

Let me know what you think...