Posts Tagged ‘Premier League’

By Zehra Ali

This season’s Premier League curtain raiser saw Manchester United defeat Chelsea 3-1, courtesy of goals from Valencia, Hernandez, and Berbatov.

Manchester United’s first victory over Chelsea since the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti gave United their 18th Community Shield victory and hinted at another exciting Premier League season.

So, what have we learned from this season’s Community Shield?

1-Paul Scholes’ performance at centre-midfield demonstrated just how good he still is, even at the age of 35. His passing was excellent. He distributed the ball magnificently, and some of his cross-field passes caught Ashley Cole badly out of position

2-Wayne Rooney appears to have shrugged off the disappointment of his disastrous World Cup. This certainly wasn’t the same Wayne Rooney as the one seen in South Africa. He didn’t score in his 45 minute run-out, but he showed once again that he has more to offer than goals.

3-From the reactions of both the Chelsea and the United players, the Community Shield isn’t overly important to either side. Ryan Giggs was quick to deny that their victory gave them any real advantage, an opinion backed up by United’s tepid lap of honour.

4-There were certainly no tears as the Chelsea players looked disappointed but not distraught. Chelsea didn’t really look ready for the new season which begins in just a week.Chelsea haven’t had a good preseason and have lost their last four matches. While not too much should be read into a poor preseason, it does create a negative atmosphere and certainly does nothing to help your chances come the main season.

5-Ashley Cole endured a torrid afternoon at left-back. He was frequently exposed by Paul Scholes’ passes and was easily drawn out of position, meaning he was to blame for United’s first two goals as players got in behind him with ease. A rash tackle on Valencia was followed with some verbal abuse as Cole took out his frustration on a player who had regularly shown him up, not something one of the World’s best left-backs is used to.