Footballs community shield? Already?
Community shield...
Sure it can't be the Community Shield already can it? English football's 'traditional curtain raiser' (trademarked by every national newspaper) seems to have crept up on us this year, perhaps because neither of the teams involved in it actually seem remotely interested in it this time. It has always been a unique game in the footy calendar, because it's not quite a competitive game, but is slightly more than just a pointless friendly game. After all, when Manchester United and Chelsea meet, can it ever be dull?
Florent Malouda Chelsea 2007/08 profile size
FLORENT MALOUDA
Well, yes actually. Last season we were promised three TITANIC clashes between the two clubs to decide who would win the Treble/Quadruple, and instead ended up with two damp squibs. The league game at Stamford Bridge was no more competitive than this Community Shield will be, while the FA Cup Final set new standards for dull cup finals, almost reaching the levels of tedium usually reserved for Chelsea vs Liverpool Champions League matches.
So, if they can't bring themselves to entertain us in the biggest game in domestic football, can we expect much from this Sunday's game at Wembley, the first Community/Charity Shield to be held there since 2000 when Chelsea beat United 2-0? Well, you can bet that neither side will want to lose to their rivals even in a pre-season game, particularly with the importance of getting off to a good start in the title race. A crushing defeat hardly does much for spirits does it?
Mind you, losing the Shield has rarely been too much of an indicator of a team's chances of success in the coming season. Between 1998 and 2001, Manchester United played in and lost four successive Charity Shields and yet won three Premiership titles, one FA Cup and one Champions League trophy in the seasons that followed. The last two times they won it, they went on to fail to win the league. So, while pride might be dented by defeat, that's about it really.
Neither United nor Chelsea go into this game in perfect health, with plenty of injuries on both sides meaning that team selections will hardly be first choice, while both teams have also lost recent friendlies against Inter and Rangers respectively. New faces like Claudio Pizarro, Florent Malouda, Owen Hargreaves and Nani could be given run-outs, but it's unlikely the teams will start much different from those who played in that FA Cup Final.
The main difference between that game and this will be that the key figures will thankfully be less exhausted than they were at the end of a long, hard season, so hopefully there will at least be more energy about the match than there was in May. Judging by United's performance against Internazionale on Wednesday night, there should be plenty of goals, as they were flowing coming forward and chaotic in defence, and that can only be good news for the fans.
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On Chelsea's part, this game represents a chance to show that they are ready to bounce back from the disappointments of last season (ONLY winning both domestic cups) and reclaim the crown that they were starting to believe was their own. Jose Mourinho has promised to be mellow this year, and no doubt the relatively relaxed atmosphere at Wembley will help him maintain that composure on Sunday, but make no mistake, he'll be desperate to put one over on Fergie as soon as possible.
However, with so many key figures - not least Carlos Tevez - likely to be absent, there is no doubt that the Community Shield can only be a phoney war between these two giants. The very least we can hope for is that the relative lack of pressure allows some of the immense talents on display to feel free to express themselves and provide some entertainment. After all, they owe us that much...
