It was a case of history repeating itself as Manchester United and Villarreal played out a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford in their opening Champions League group stage match last night. 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 and I managed to chat with him immediately after the final whistle. The French midfielder joined Villarreal from Arsenal in May 2006 but missed much of his first season with a knee injury. However, he bounced back last season and established himself as a regular in Pellegrini's side, making 26 appearances to help lead Villarreal to an impressive second place finish in La Liga.

The 34-year-old could well finish his career at Villarreal after being rewarded with a new deal at the end of June this year,  but after making 189 appearances for Arsenal across six seasons, it seems that Pires remains very much a Gunners fan….

Guillem:    Did tonight's  game go according to plan?

Pires:     Yes, we were very well prepared for this match. This is always a very difficult place to come to, no matter who you are, but we played the game we wanted to play. We sat very deep in the first half, patient, and hoped to catch them on the break - but perhaps we showed them a little bit too much respect in the first half, maybe even afraid of them in the beginning.

The coach had a few words with us at half time and told us to come out and play the second half as we did. We played very well after the break I thought. Guille Franco had a great opportunity to score a goal, and it was only the post that stopped us from taking the lead.

I'm pleased, I think we played well.

Guillem:     It seemed to me that you personally had two jobs to do out on the pitch: you had to get forward and create, as well as lead the way psychologically and show to the rest of your colleagues that 'come on, this might be Old Trafford, but it's nothing to be afraid of.'

Pires:     Yeah, I have the experience, not just of playing at Old Traffrord, but all around as well. I've played a lot of games here with Arsenal, so it was important to lead by example, particularly in front of the younger players who may have been intimidated by the atmosphere, it can be scary if it's your first time.

But, in the end, we have a lot of quality in this side.  Sure, we have a lot of young players, but they know no fear and are afraid of nobody.

I think we can all be pleased to have come away from Old Trafford with a point.

Guillem:      Were you surprised by Manchester United's performance, because they seemed to be lacking something, a little sharpness, don't you think?

Pires:      Yes, a little. I don't know if they are a bit tired maybe. They seemed a little short of pace. We spent a lot of time studying their game against Liverpool at the weekend and came here very well prepared. It turned out well for us in the end.

Guillem:     Have you seen Arsenal play lately?

Pires :     I watch their games all the time, never miss a match.

Guillem:    Are they in transition?

Pires:     I think they have moved up a level. I believe that this will be their year. The players are much stronger, they are a young side that has gained a lot of experience. I don't know, I just have a very good feeling about Arsenal this year. 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.

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