Last season saw Arsenal mount a more sustained title challenge than in previous seasons only to ultimately drift off the pace, with a fourth-place finish proving bitter disappointment in a campaign that promised so much. Injuries certainly played a significant part, with Cesc Fabregas and Robin Van Persie starting just 22 and 19 games respectively, but, even when the pair were both fit, the Gunners lacked a certain something, certainly in comparison to the relentless charge towards the title of Man United.

Finding the net isn‘t the problem; United may have had the flourishing partnership of Rooney and Hernandez combined with Nani’s outstanding campaign but Arsenal were second to Fergie’s side for Goals Scored last season. With Van Persie’s 19 Goals in his last 18 games allied to Cesc Fabregas’ vision - 2.88 Key Passes per game- and the 23 Goals and 19 Assists of Nasri, Arshavin and Walcott collectively, Wenger’s side are a match for the champions in attack.

We take a look at each side’s Most Used XI’s and identify the three key areas where the teams differ, looking at why United may have that edge:

Attacking Full-Backs
Man United’s full-backs, Patrice Evra and Rafael, were evenly matched in our key performance stats, with the only real significant difference being Rafael’s superior tackling ability; both were dangerous going forward and solid at the back. Between them the pair averaged 1.95 Tackles, 2.25 Interceptions and 2.5 Clearances. They won an impressive 62% Aerial Duels and made 1.2 Fouls per game. Going forward, they made 0.98 Key Passes and 0.8 Successful Dribbles per game, with an 82% Pass Accuracy.

For Arsenal, Gael Clichy was more solid defensively and created better chances for his side, while Bacary Sagna was more assured in possession and dominant in the air. They made 2.7 Tackles, 2.55 Interceptions and 4.35 Clearances per game. The Gunners pair were successful in  59% Aerial Duels and made 0.8 Fouls per game. As an attacking force, they averaged 0.68 Key Passes and 0.5 Successful Dribbles, with a Pass Accuracy of 83.5%

The Arsenal full-backs are called upon more often than their United counterparts defensively, which, in turn, allows Rafael and Evra to outperform them going forward. The United pair are clearly more of an attacking threat for their side, comfortably making more Key Passes and Successful Dribbles every game and adding more options to their respective team’s attacks than Clichy and Sagna.

Solid and Reliable Centre Halves
United’s main two in the heart of defence were, of course, Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand. Vidic’s ball-winning ability combined with Ferdinand’s reading of the game and assured distribution makes for the perfect centre-half duo.

On average, they made 1.7 Tackles, 2.6 Interceptions and 8 Clearances per game. The pair won 71% of Aerial Duels and managed 0.65 Blocked Shots per game yet only averaged 0.65 Fouls. The pair’s combined Pass Accuracy was 82%.

Arsenal’s most used pair was Johan Djourou and Laurent Koscielny; Djourou’s distribution and aerial prowess twinned with Koscielny’s ball-winning indicate the duo’s best stats.

On average, they made 1.5 Tackles, 2.4 Interceptions, 6.55 Clearances and 0.55 Blocked Shots. The Arsenal centre halves won just 55% of Aerial Duels and made 1.2 Fouls per game. Distribution was impressive, though, with 88.5% Pass Accuracy.

In short, Vidic and Ferdinand were superior in every one of our key defensive stats to Djourou and Koscielny. In particular, there was a substantial difference in Aerial Duels won and Fouls made, with the Arsenal pair making almost twice that of the United duo and winning 16% less headers. The only area where Wenger’s boys were superior was in Pass Accuracy.

The stats of Thomas Vermaelen suggest his absence was sorely missed; the Belgian scored higher than the Djourou/Koscielny partnership average for Tackles, Interceptions, Blocked Shots, Aerial Duels and Pass Accuracy, a sure sign of his worth at the back. Djourou made a mere 1 Tackle per game, while Koscielny won just 53% of Aerial Duels- not the performance required of a top class centre-half.

Vermaelen’s stats suggest the ideal partner would be strong in Tackles, Clearances and Blocked Shots- precisely the areas where the likes of Brede Hangeland, Gary Cahill, Vincent Kompany and Chris Samba excel.

Disciplined Central Midfield
Of United’s central midfield pair, it was Michael Carrick who impressed defensively compared to Darren Fletcher. Carrick was also a better distributor of the ball but it was Fletcher who made the more Key Passes, indicating Carrick’s safety-first passing.

The pair averaged 1.7 Tackles and 1.75 Interceptions per game, with an 86% Pass Accuracy. They were fairly poor creatively, making just 0.8 Key Passes on average and rarely travelled forward with the ball, with a mere 0.2 Successful Dribbles. Clean in the tackle, the pair averaged just 0.6 Fouls per game.

The Arsenal centre midfield pair of Jack Wilshere and Alex Song have contrasting styles of play; Wilshere’s craft and mobility combined with Song’s tenacious ball-winning. They averaged 2.5 Tackles and 2.05 Interceptions per game, with an 86% Pass Accuracy. In terms of attacking play, they offered 1.37 Key Passes and 1.4 Dribbles per match, though averaged a fairly high 1.6 Fouls between them.

United’s 4-4-2 sees Carrick sit and Fletcher hunt the ball, which, when won, can be moved on to the side’s more creative types. Arsenal’s system is different, with Wenger looking to Wilshere to prompt attacks from deep. When Wilshere marauds forward, he places more emphasis on Song’s defensive duties but despite an impressive 3.3 Tackles per game, the latter’s ill-discipline and lack of anticipation (he averages 2.2 Fouls) in the middle of the park is ultimately proving costly for the Gunners.