It is a new season on Written Offside and I am delighted to be back with my first preview of the campaign. This season I will be giving my readers the chance to predict the result of each game. Please see the end of this post for more details. I hope you enjoy the blog this season and as ever, I welcome your comments either via the website or via twitter.
Manchester United end their pre-season build-up with the traditional curtain raiser to the season, the Community Shield at Wembley. This year's match is given extra spice by being against Manchester City who beat United in the FA Cup semi-final en route to their first piece of silverware for 35 years.
The Reds go into the game with a near perfect pre-season record following their US tour and a relatively clean bill of health. Only Javier Hernández looks to be definitely sidelined now that Valencia and Fletcher are back in training and Carrick's Achilles strain is not thought to be serious.The new signings have all bedded in well, getting plenty of minutes on the pitch and impressing all observers that they will be key components in the squad for the upcoming campaign. Phil Jones has played at either centre back or right back and looked composed and comfortable on the ball while sharp in the tackle when required. Ashley Young has primarily been stationed on the left wing and shown plenty of threat when cutting in, to either cross or shoot with his right foot. David De Gea will take time to adjust, not only to the physical nature of the English game but he has the language barrier to overcome. Everything he has shown thus far has been impressive but there will be bigger tests to come.
The Opposition
City have had a "quieter" pre-season than normal this year with the addition of Savic, Clichy and latterly Aguero to their squad but it leaves them with the headache of what to do with certain players that do not fit into Mancini's long term plans. Coupled with their high wages, moving on the likes of Adebayor, Bellamy, Santa Cruz and Bridge among others has proved a tough task for the Italian as he looks to trim his expensively assembled squad.
Without doubt, City will be a major threat this season although with the advent of Financial Fair Play, their aggressive transfer policy will have to be curbed from now on. Their solidity from last season with the likes of Hart, Kompany, De Jong and Yaya Touré has been augmented by the flair and imagination of Aguero and this coupled with the guile and movement of David Silva makes City look a potent force on paper. However, with Champions League qualification comes questions that have not had to be asked before. Such as whether they can cope with the regular, high intensity fixtures whilst testing Mancini's squad rotation skills to the limit. It will also be interesting to see how their squad harmony develops over the course of such a busy season as it does not take much to upset the loose cannons that exist within their playing staff.
No mention of City would be complete without a word about the footballing mercenary that is Carlitos Tevez. It is looking increasingly likely that the Argentinian will have to return to Manchester and its two restaurants for another period of time. His presence can only serve to destabilise the club still further which must be a worry to the hierarchy already on tenterhooks with the continuing antics of Mario Ballotelli.
United
I have decided, somewhat reluctantly, to go for a 4-5-1 formation for tomorrow's game. The rationale for such a decision is based almost entirely on the predicted absence of Carrick and Fletcher in midfield which leaves the squad looking woefully short of players who can cover from a defensive point of view in that department. I have therefore plumped for a "safety in numbers" selection as going into the game weak in this vital area would be close to footballing suicide in my opinion. What is for certain is that Ferguson will have no intention of rolling over for the "noisy neighbours" and thus allow them any kind of psychological advantage, however minute.
I would expect De Gea to be given the unenviable task of replacing the great Edwin Van der Sar in goal for United this season and it is a perfect opportunity to give him a chance to feel a fraction of the pressure that comes with being the first choice custodian for the Reds. Although Anders Lindegaard has been mightily impressive in pre-season, the large outlay that United presented to Athletico Madrid for the young Spaniard indicates he will be given every opportunity to cement his place as he settles into the most intense scrutiny felt since the departure of Peter Schmeichel in 1999.
I have chosen Fábio and Evra as my full backs for no other reason than they ended last season as the men in possession. Rafael will no doubt be pressing his claims strongly and will be given plenty of opportunities as the season progresses. Despite competition from the array of young talent, the club now possesses, I would expect Ferdinand and Vidic to resume their solid centre back partnership. Jones, Smalling and Evans will get plenty of game time in their preferred position in the middle but in addition they are able to cover the full back area and thus further their education in the art of the defender.
As mentioned, I have selected a tight three man central midfield with Anderson, Giggs and Cleverley trusted to secure this vital area of the pitch. The latter has been prevalent in recent matches as the youngster looks to secure his place in the United squad. So far, Cleverley has done all that can be asked of him in terms of performance but it will be a big step up in class tomorrow and could well prove to be an accurate barometer as to his chances of competing with more physical opponents. After successfully competing his first pre-season, it will be an interesting campaign for Anderson as he looks to convince the United faithful that he can add the required consistency to his undoubted talent. Recent appearances have suggested that a goal threat could be a welcome addition to his armoury as he looks to support the front men with well timed runs from the centre.
The front three I have chosen are Park, Rooney and Nani but this will be very flexible. The South Korean will no doubt be instructed to assist where necessary in the centre as was demonstrated in the latter stages of last season to such good effect. Nani has done well in the build-up matches and was outstanding against Barcelona last Saturday. He will be tasked with causing trouble for debutant Clichy on City's left, a battle he will be confident of winning bearing in mind the history between the two whilst the Frenchman was at the Emirates. Although Rooney prefers the free role behind a main striker, needs must and he will be assigned the job of unsettling the excellent Kompany and his partner Lescott. If United go behind, it would be no surprise to see either Berbatov or Welbeck thrown on, allowing the Englishman to return to his role as conductor in chief. Welbeck in particular will be disappointed if he has to be content with a place on the bench after an excellent pre-season that has seen him exude confidence and look like a player that has clearly benefited from his time away at Sunderland. He has returned to his local club hungry and with the desire to succeed and coupled with his undoubted skill and strength, it could be a huge breakthrough season for the Englishman.
After being seen taking a full part in the open training session on Saturday morning, Darren Fletcher may have an outside chance of making the bench as he will need some games before he is ready to slot back into the centre of United's midfield. Also likely to have to be content with a place on the bench are Owen, Young, Smalling and Jones amongst others as the true depth of the playing staff is clearly demonstrated.
Without doubt, City will be a major threat this season although with the advent of Financial Fair Play, their aggressive transfer policy will have to be curbed from now on. Their solidity from last season with the likes of Hart, Kompany, De Jong and Yaya Touré has been augmented by the flair and imagination of Aguero and this coupled with the guile and movement of David Silva makes City look a potent force on paper. However, with Champions League qualification comes questions that have not had to be asked before. Such as whether they can cope with the regular, high intensity fixtures whilst testing Mancini's squad rotation skills to the limit. It will also be interesting to see how their squad harmony develops over the course of such a busy season as it does not take much to upset the loose cannons that exist within their playing staff.
No mention of City would be complete without a word about the footballing mercenary that is Carlitos Tevez. It is looking increasingly likely that the Argentinian will have to return to Manchester and its two restaurants for another period of time. His presence can only serve to destabilise the club still further which must be a worry to the hierarchy already on tenterhooks with the continuing antics of Mario Ballotelli.
United
I have decided, somewhat reluctantly, to go for a 4-5-1 formation for tomorrow's game. The rationale for such a decision is based almost entirely on the predicted absence of Carrick and Fletcher in midfield which leaves the squad looking woefully short of players who can cover from a defensive point of view in that department. I have therefore plumped for a "safety in numbers" selection as going into the game weak in this vital area would be close to footballing suicide in my opinion. What is for certain is that Ferguson will have no intention of rolling over for the "noisy neighbours" and thus allow them any kind of psychological advantage, however minute.
I would expect De Gea to be given the unenviable task of replacing the great Edwin Van der Sar in goal for United this season and it is a perfect opportunity to give him a chance to feel a fraction of the pressure that comes with being the first choice custodian for the Reds. Although Anders Lindegaard has been mightily impressive in pre-season, the large outlay that United presented to Athletico Madrid for the young Spaniard indicates he will be given every opportunity to cement his place as he settles into the most intense scrutiny felt since the departure of Peter Schmeichel in 1999.
I have chosen Fábio and Evra as my full backs for no other reason than they ended last season as the men in possession. Rafael will no doubt be pressing his claims strongly and will be given plenty of opportunities as the season progresses. Despite competition from the array of young talent, the club now possesses, I would expect Ferdinand and Vidic to resume their solid centre back partnership. Jones, Smalling and Evans will get plenty of game time in their preferred position in the middle but in addition they are able to cover the full back area and thus further their education in the art of the defender.
As mentioned, I have selected a tight three man central midfield with Anderson, Giggs and Cleverley trusted to secure this vital area of the pitch. The latter has been prevalent in recent matches as the youngster looks to secure his place in the United squad. So far, Cleverley has done all that can be asked of him in terms of performance but it will be a big step up in class tomorrow and could well prove to be an accurate barometer as to his chances of competing with more physical opponents. After successfully competing his first pre-season, it will be an interesting campaign for Anderson as he looks to convince the United faithful that he can add the required consistency to his undoubted talent. Recent appearances have suggested that a goal threat could be a welcome addition to his armoury as he looks to support the front men with well timed runs from the centre.
The front three I have chosen are Park, Rooney and Nani but this will be very flexible. The South Korean will no doubt be instructed to assist where necessary in the centre as was demonstrated in the latter stages of last season to such good effect. Nani has done well in the build-up matches and was outstanding against Barcelona last Saturday. He will be tasked with causing trouble for debutant Clichy on City's left, a battle he will be confident of winning bearing in mind the history between the two whilst the Frenchman was at the Emirates. Although Rooney prefers the free role behind a main striker, needs must and he will be assigned the job of unsettling the excellent Kompany and his partner Lescott. If United go behind, it would be no surprise to see either Berbatov or Welbeck thrown on, allowing the Englishman to return to his role as conductor in chief. Welbeck in particular will be disappointed if he has to be content with a place on the bench after an excellent pre-season that has seen him exude confidence and look like a player that has clearly benefited from his time away at Sunderland. He has returned to his local club hungry and with the desire to succeed and coupled with his undoubted skill and strength, it could be a huge breakthrough season for the Englishman.
After being seen taking a full part in the open training session on Saturday morning, Darren Fletcher may have an outside chance of making the bench as he will need some games before he is ready to slot back into the centre of United's midfield. Also likely to have to be content with a place on the bench are Owen, Young, Smalling and Jones amongst others as the true depth of the playing staff is clearly demonstrated.
Score Prediction
All things considered, I will go for a 2-1 victory for United with Nani opening the scoring and then Rooney adding the winner after a Dzeko leveller. I think it will be a tight game with plenty of tackles being made due to no quarter being asked or given by these two teams.
Your Prediction
Now it is your chance to predict the scoreline and scorers by filling out the form below. If anyone gets the correct score and scorers they will get a shout-out on Twitter. Press submit to send your predictions to me:
Click on the button below to follow me on Twitter and/or recommend this post on Facebook.
Please leave your thoughts on the game below.
Follow @writtenoff_mufc
All things considered, I will go for a 2-1 victory for United with Nani opening the scoring and then Rooney adding the winner after a Dzeko leveller. I think it will be a tight game with plenty of tackles being made due to no quarter being asked or given by these two teams.
Your Prediction
Now it is your chance to predict the scoreline and scorers by filling out the form below. If anyone gets the correct score and scorers they will get a shout-out on Twitter. Press submit to send your predictions to me:
Click on the button below to follow me on Twitter and/or recommend this post on Facebook.
Please leave your thoughts on the game below.
Follow @writtenoff_mufc
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