United 2 - 0 Wigan

DDG

Rafael(Smalling) Jones Vidic Evra

Zaha(Valencia) Carrick Cleverley(Anderson) Giggs

Van Persie(Januzaj) Welbeck(Kagawa)

After 3 months deprived of proper United competitive football, I was eagerly awaiting this game. Although the Community Shield is often seen as a glorified friendly, more often than not, the game gives you a hint of how the team will play in the forthcoming season. Unfortunately, I was struggling to keep myself interested in the game after 20 odd minutes. Our football wasn't exactly what I'd call inspiring and Wigan's defensive tactics didn't help either. 

Amid the boring football, our Robin van Persie scored two goals with the first being an excellent header. It's good to know that one of your strikers hasn't lost his touch during the summer months. There wasn't anybody who stood out today. The defenders did OK, while the midfielders did the job without ever shifting to second gear. If I had to choose a man of the match, I think I'd go for Giggs. Although I didn't like his inclusion in the starting XI, he was perhaps the most determined player from our side. His passes were crisp and he worked hard to retain possession whenever we lost the ball. Giggs still gets the job done but I'd rather see Young or Nani cement their place in the left wing berth whenever they're available again. I'd also like to mention Cleverley who had a decent game in the middle of the park. I had lost faith in Tom after a string of subdued performances last year so it will take time for me to be convinced that he's Man Utd standard. Let's hope he does convince me. 

All in all, it was a relaxed tempo game. It looked like a friendly and was definitely a far cry from our most recent Community Shield game a couple of years ago. That game, vs. City, provided some edge-of-the-seat moments. Today's game was more of a stroll. Regardless, there was a trophy to be won and we've done that. Zaha, Januzaj and Moyes must've enjoyed the feeling of lifting some silverware. May there be many more to come. Bring on the Premier League!