Champions Manchester United looking ominous

By Jonathan Wilson Aug 12, 2011, 6:43 GMT

London - For their rivals, there was something deeply troubling about Manchester United in last Sunday's Community Shield.

This is a game that is, essentially, a glorified friendly. It doesn't really matter. In the past two decades there have been perhaps three memorable Shields. Usually, a side goes behind, gives a collective shrug, and accepts it.

But here, United having fallen 2-0 behind to Manchester City - despite being much the better side - fought back hard, and ended up deserving 3-2 winners.

Perhaps their attitude was because of the local pride at stake, perhaps because of a desire to put the wealthy upstarts in their place: but either way it's hard not to imagine City suffering psychological damage: again, despite everything, United prevailed.

Their hunger under Sir Alex Ferguson remains undiminished. The Chelsea captain John Terry suggested as many as seven sides could win the Premier League this season (a generous estimate), but United loom as powerful as ever ahead of Saturday's start.

'Even Sir Alex Ferguson said the other day the league's getting tougher,' said the former United captain Roy Keane. 'But I don't think so.

'If United are really at it, which they will be, they'll win it comfortably. Even last year when United were slipping up, no team was strong enough to take advantage of it.'

There were weaknesses apparent. David De Gea, the 20-year-old goalkeeper brought in to replace Edwin van der Sar after his retirement, looked suspect on both City goals.

'It is absolutely ridiculous listening to people criticising him after one game,' said the United goalkeeping great Peter Schmeichel.

Still, his sluggishness in getting down to Edin Dzeko's long-range effort, coupled with the 11 goals he let in from outside the box playing for Atletico Madrid last season, makes it a legitimate question to ask.

United's other new signings, though, worked well. Ashley Young, quite apart from anything else, gives United a dead-ball expertise they've lacked for some time.

Phil Jones was solid at centre-back. Danny Welbeck, the centre-forward back after a loan spell at Sunderland, impressed with his movement.

Nani, overlooked towards the end of last season, sparkled scoring twice.

And if, as now seems likely, the Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder arrives from Inter Milan, United have a highly fluid front four, a return to the virtues that won them the Champions League in 2008.

There is a question about Dzeko's goal, and the time and space he had to turn and shoot, suggesting an issue at the back of midfield, but in the wider scheme of United's domination, it was a minor flaw.

Yet Keane suggested City were more serious rivals than Chelsea, questioning the spirit at Stamford Bridge.

'It's always the players down there, they all seem to self-destruct,' he said. 'They're big pals one minute and the next you hear they're all bickering with each other and players aren't happy if someone else scores.'

Chelsea's new manager Andre Villas-Boas may be able to quell that, and City ought to be stronger than they were last season, but it's United, once again, who are the team to beat.

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