So, a new season almost upon us, and here's my first match preview of the new campaign. Consider this much as the Community Shield itself: a bit of a warm up after an idle summer before the real match previews start next week.
What can we expect from the game. Not a lot I'd imagine. Weather reports suggest its going to be hot, Wembley's pitch will presumably be the same unplayable surface. I'm not expecting a great game. In many ways I'm expecting a continuation of the friendlies we've already seen this summer with the main focus on how individuals will perform. Will Owen manage to match the good running he showed against Valencia with the goal scoring touch that was just missing? Will Valencia continue to impress? Will Nani show what he's made of?
Not sure how much the "psychological edge" of a victory really matters. Of course it's always nice to win games of football, especially against our competitors, but in terms of reading the coming season the game won't tell us much no matter what the result.
Picking a team is a bit troublesome. Goalkeeper, any 1 from 2 (with both being reported to be going to get 45 minutes), back four, with the injuries at the back picks itself really. And the midfield/attack, the options are such that, well, it's a bit pointless trying, but here goes:
Prediction: I'll plump for 1-0 to us, with Owen scoring. Not expecting a great game, but hoping to be pleasantly surprised.
What can we expect from the game. Not a lot I'd imagine. Weather reports suggest its going to be hot, Wembley's pitch will presumably be the same unplayable surface. I'm not expecting a great game. In many ways I'm expecting a continuation of the friendlies we've already seen this summer with the main focus on how individuals will perform. Will Owen manage to match the good running he showed against Valencia with the goal scoring touch that was just missing? Will Valencia continue to impress? Will Nani show what he's made of?
Not sure how much the "psychological edge" of a victory really matters. Of course it's always nice to win games of football, especially against our competitors, but in terms of reading the coming season the game won't tell us much no matter what the result.
Picking a team is a bit troublesome. Goalkeeper, any 1 from 2 (with both being reported to be going to get 45 minutes), back four, with the injuries at the back picks itself really. And the midfield/attack, the options are such that, well, it's a bit pointless trying, but here goes:
Foster, Fabio, Evans, Ferdinand, Evra, Carrick, Anderson, Valencia, Tosic, Owen, BerbatovMaybe Nani for Tosic, could be a nice stage for Nani to try and impress, but preseason Tosic has played a lot and looked good, and it could also be a good stage for him to impress. I'm assuming Valencia will start to keep his momentum going, the same with Owen, and, with Rooney being involved in the England friendly midweek, maybe Sir Alex will prefer Berba to start with Owen. And the central midfield 2, who knows, Giggs, Scholes, Fletcher? I just plumped for Anderson and Carrick for no real reason - we all know what our central midfielders are about, there's no proving to be done there.
Prediction: I'll plump for 1-0 to us, with Owen scoring. Not expecting a great game, but hoping to be pleasantly surprised.
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