UNITED OPEN SEASON WITH SHIELD

 

Well last time round United played in the Community Shield and it was as Premiership champions. However we found ourselves drawing 2-2 with Chelsea at Wembley before being beaten on penalties in what turned out to be an omen of things to come. The last time we won the Shield was back in '08 when we found ourselves facing a relatively financially healthy Portsmouth side, drawing 0-0 with them at Wembley before beating them on penalties. On that note I have to say that I'm very glad Pompey survived their battle with the suits in the courts recently. The idea of a club of that stature just being wiped out of existence like an ordinary business when those truly responsible for the mess will probably never be touched is just wrong on so many levels.

This time around, we're up against Chelsea. Again, this is the same team that we faced in what was Carlo Ancelotti's first competitive game as Blues gaffer and as already mentioned we got given what would turn out to be a reality check. The last time we beat Chelsea in this encounter though was only back in '07 when Jose Mourinho was still Blues gaffer. On that occasion we drew 1-1 at Wembley before beating Jose's crew on penalties. It was a tight game and ultimately only decided thanks to van de Saar proving himself invincible in the shootout. Overall we have a pretty good record against Chelsea when we face them in these season openers.

Well, last season Chelsea won both the Premiership and the FA Cup. Well someone had to face them in the Community Shield and that team turned out to be United. We were Premiership runners up, that's usually the standard for "best of the rest" in English football when a team wins the double and it did look like it would be a good first competitive test for our new guys. Still, the starting lineup was relatively familiar. Fabio and right back, Vidic(captain) and Evans in central defence, O Shea left back, Valencia right mid, Scholes and Carrick centre mid, Park left mid with Rooney and Owen up front with an overhaul expected at half time.

Well Chelsea had the opening chance of the game but it soon became clear that United, and particularly our English players, planned to redeem themselves this season but the Blues weren't hanging around either. Still there were no early goals. And yet as the first half went on the United players found themselves ripping the Chelsea defence to shred on a regular basis. The reigning Double winners continued to dodge bullets though. That was untill the 41st minute when a Rooney cross from deep found Valenicia who got United's first goal of the season. So far so good, now could the Reds wrap up this game in the 2nd half - surely Chelsea wouldn't be in a mood to lie down.

Half time indeed saw an overhaul for United, particularly in the assasins department. Which was fine by us as it didn't mean that the Chelsea defence got any rest, the Blues just didn't know what to do about our new guy. Sure enough Hernandez got his first competitive goal for United in the 76th minute thanks to a Valencia cross, even if the finish was a bit messy. Chelsea then responded in the 83rd minute when Simon Sturridge fired a shot which our goalie could only parry and Soloman Kalou put in the rebound. United had the last word though when they passed their way through Chelsea's defence in injury time and Berbatov lobbed their goalie. Maybe this could be the season when the Bulgarian assasin redeems himself after his farcical displays last season.

So, Manchester United are the 2010 Community Shield winners, lifting that particular trophy for the first time since '08. It means that Javier Hernandez and Chris Smalling open their United career with a trophy pretty much immediately, Valencia lifts his first Shield winners medal, Michael Owen can now claim to have won the Shield for the first time as a United player(having previously scored agauinst United in the '01 game when playing for Liverpool). It is the best possible way to start the season and suggests that this season's United squad are certainly capable of beating anyone in the Premiership which means that we should certainly be looking to get that particular trophy back.

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