Football Sport

Red or Blue? Chelsea is flying high

Written by Leanne Lu

David Moyes grabbed his first trophy as Manchester United manager last Sunday in the Community Shield, although to be fair it can’t be counted as a serious competition. However, the Cup offers some encouragement to Moyes given the Red Devils suffered two draws and three defeats in their seven friendlies during the off-season and haven’t received any significant boosts in the transfer market.

The Community Shield offers little confidence to David Moyes

The Community Shield offers little confidence to David Moyes

Individual brilliance was the difference between United and Wigan in the Community Shield with Robin Van Persie, United’s top goal scorer from last season, scoring in each half to beat the Championship side 2-0. However, United’s mediocre performance throughout the summer is alarming and suggests they have a long way to go to be considered serious title contenders.

Van Persie remains the most lethal weapon for United but who will replace him if he is injured or suspended? The obvious answer is Wayne Rooney but given Rooney remains determined to head elsewhere Moyes will need to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. Rooney didn’t feature in any game this summer, including the Community Shield due to his self-claimed injuries, yet he joins the national team for a mid-week friendly game against Scotland. Will he answer Moyes’ call when he returns in a week’s time?

One man who has the same headache as Moyes is Liverpool’s manager Brendan Rodgers. Luis Suárez’s transfer saga continues into the new season with the Uruguayan refusing to apologize despite Rodgers stating that is all he needs to do to return to the squad. Can it be “resolved amicably” like Rodgers says? Unlikely. Meanwhile, Celtic handed Liverpool their first defeat this summer when the Scottish side beat them 1-0 in Dublin. Iago Aspas and Daniel Sturridge, who has just returned from injury, couldn’t find their shooting boots.

After a series of good performance during the pre-season, Jose Mourinho's confidence is running high

After a series of good performance during the pre-season, Jose Mourinho’s confidence is running high

Chelsea came from behind to beat AS Roma in their final friendly game before the season kicks off. Veteran Frank Lampard recovered from injury in time and gave Mourinho a huge lift with his talent and work rate refusing to wane at the age of 35. His trademark strike led the Blues’ fightback against the Italian side. Chelsea enjoyed a wonderful summer with Real Madrid the only team they lost to and they will expect to get off to a good start to the season. Make sure you follow Big Jim’s season preview on wgm8.com this Monday if you are looking for some tips!