Arsenal vs. Sunderland: 6 Things We Learned from 0-0 Draw at the Emirates

Almost exactly a year after Arsenal drew 0-0 to Newcastle on the first day of last season, the Gunners replicated that result against Sunderland in a frustrating display that left much to be desired.

The visitors' strategy against a superior opponent was extremely simple, predictable and effective: hold an organized line at the back, deny Arsenal space and strangle them into a point.

Despite the best efforts of Santi Cazorla, Gervinho and a couple other committed players, Sunderland's tactics worked to perfection. Arsenal struggled to create anything, were wasteful when they did and the cause grew progressively more hopeless as the match wore on.

Even at this early juncture, distressed Gunners fans, wary of another catastrophic start to the season and hungry for trophies, are asking questions of Arsene Wenger and the squad he's assembled.

Don't jump to any conclusions, though, without looking at these six things we learned from the draw.

Santi Cazorla Is Better Than Advertised

Arguably the overall man of the match and certainly the best player on the day for Arsenal, the Gunners would have had a much tougher time if it weren't for Arsene Wenger's most recent signing.

Cazorla is everything that the club have lacked since Cesc Fabregas left a year ago: he dictates possession extremely well, he has the technical skill to squeeze his way out of seemingly impossible positions and it is obvious that his creative instinct is unrivaled in the team.

Every time he got the ball on his feet, Cazorla looked up to try and make a play, and on many occasions he was the only player who seemed capable of springing an attack. He did so multiple times in several different areas of the pitch, and even came close to scoring himself in a couple of instances.

I'd watch out for this guy because he has all the makings of a star.

Theo Walcott Is Useless Against Defensive Teams

One thing about Theo Walcott has not changed from last season to this, or even from a couple years ago: he is a player of very little technical ability who has one single attribute that can change games.

But his world-famous pace is rendered useless by teams that, like Sunderland, dig in and entrench themselves near their own penalty box, denying Arsenal space and forcing them to slow the game down.

Especially in the first half, Walcott became completely anonymous, and all wing play funneled through the more incisive and technically skilled Gervinho on the left wing.

While the Ivorian didn't end up creating anything that ended up on the scoresheet, he contributed much more than his teammate on the other side of the pitch. That will need to change, and soon, or else Walcott runs the risk of becoming a specialty player.

The Defence Is Better Than We Expected

What will probably get lost amid all the talk about a van Persie-less Arsenal being held scoreless in their first game is the fact that the defence kept a clean sheet and was not terribly bothered in doing so.

Granted, Sunderland did not show a great deal of attacking ambition, but, especially for a period in the first half, they put together some good periods of possession and their build-up play around the penalty box troubled Wojciech Szczesny from time to time.

Even without the first-choice central defensive pairing of Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny, the team put in a very impressive effort to anticipate Sunderland's next move and cut out threats before they materialized.

The midfield did a good job to press and win the ball back as soon as possible, and even Gervinho tracked back and made a great tackle when Kieran Gibbs was further up the pitch.

Gervinho Is Rounding into Form

A common gripe that fans often have with Gervinho is that, while he has an abundance of flair and can dribble past defenders at any time, his final ball isn't up to par and, above all, he doesn't shoot nearly enough.

He certainly has not solved his problems yet, but the progress that he has made is very encouraging, and his constant involvement against Sunderland shows that he could play a major role for Arsenal if he continues to improve.

When Santi Cazorla wasn't creating chances for Arsenal, he was distributing the ball to Gervinho, who picked up some of the Spaniard's slack. When few else would make an incisive move, the Ivorian was always happy to take players on and try to make something out of nothing.

I still implored him to shoot or pass much too often, but I certainly like what I'm seeing from a visibly improved player.

Arsenal Are Much Deeper Than Last Season

Some Arsenal players that were injured and could not take part against Sunderland include: Laurent Koscielny, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Tomas Rosicky, Jack Wilshere and Bacary Sagna.

Yet the Gunners not only fielded what even to cynics was a very strong and balanced starting XI, options off the bench included Aaron Ramsey, Francis Coquelin, Andre Santos, Andrey Arshavin and Ligue 1's leading scorer Olivier Giroud.

Oh, and Alex Song was halfway to Barcelona at kickoff.

To have this many options is a luxury that Arsene Wenger did not enjoy last season, and was something that crippled the team when Plan A didn't quite work. When Arsenal needed a change of pace in the second half, Wenger threw on Giroud, who almost scored the winner in the 82nd minute.

A far cry from the days of Marouane Chamakh playing anywhere and Ju Young Park sitting on the bench.

Apply Gel, Score Goals, Win Matches

I've already seen some fans throw their hands up in anger and proclaim their dissatisfaction with the club for allowing us to live in a world without Robin van Persie. To them, this match was proof that, without their erstwhile talisman, Arsenal are a Europa League club.

I say, simply, to not go mental just yet. Give the team a few games to get fit, to gel, to carefully hone its style of play and, generally, to work its way into this new season and everything will be fine.

The team is, without a doubt, stronger than the one that played West Brom in May, and I see the potential for at least a top three finish in this corps of players.

When Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud get their legs under them, they will show their true quality, and we know already that Santi Cazorla can provide them with more service than they can keep up with. I wouldn't worry about an Arsene Wenger side scoring goals, and, combined with more solid displays at the back, this squad has truly great potential.

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