Sir Alex Ferguson will sacrifice the chance to land a
psychological blow against Chelsea because he believes it is more
important that Manchester United are ready for the start of their
title defence.
Ferguson will leave out his three new signings and may rest
several other stars for Sunday's Community Shield clash at Wembley
to avoid any unwanted injuries just a week before the Premiership
begins.
Owen Hargreaves and Anderson are still catching up with their
new teammates after injury and international commitments
respectively, so neither will be risked, while Nani has not been
named in the squad for the annual clash between the champions and
FA Cup winners.
Carlos Tevez won't feature either despite the resolution of the
legal wrangle over his transfer from West Ham because he doesn't
officially join until next week.?
The bitter memories of last season's FA Cup final defeat at the
same venue will provide plenty of motivation for United.
But Ferguson is more concerned that the players who won him a
first league-title for four years are in prime condition for the
Premiership opener against Reading on August 12.
"It is always difficult to assess the importance of this match
because we have to use it as a stepping stone for next week," he
said.
"Nevertheless, I don't think you can avoid the fact it will be
competitive. That is bound to happen when you are playing against a
team you expect to be competing with for top honours.
"We all know it is essential to have a good preparation but I
just want to get started right now.
"We have a new team, and, including Tevez, we have made four
good acquisitions. It is difficult to say how we compare with
everyone else but there is no doubt we expect to be better."
The first skirmish of the season between the leading contenders
for the Premiership will be something of a phoney war as Chelsea
also come into the match at less than 100 percent.
Jose Mourinho will be without injured trio Michael Ballack,
Wayne Bridge and Salomon Kalou and the Portuguese coach must also
decide whether it is worth risking Frank Lampard and John
Terry.
The England duo, who both suffered a broken toe in pre-season,
are so competitive that both try to persuade Mourinho to let them
play through the pain barrier. But it would be foolhardy to expose
them to further damage in a relatively meaningless match.
Mourinho is likely to give a first outing to the 4-3-3 formation
that served Chelsea so well in his first two seasons at Stamford
Bridge.
The move represents something of a gamble because Didier Drogba,
who flourished alongside a strike-partner last season, will now
plough a lone furrow up front.
Mourinho hopes new signing Florent Malouda and Joe Cole will
supply plenty of ammunition for Drogba.
He would also like to see England left-back Ashley Cole
reproduce more of the rampaging attacks that were his trademark at
Arsenal.
"I came to Chelsea and wanted to prove that I could play," he
told the club's website. "I didn't want to let the manager and the
players down when I needed an operation right at the start of the
season. "
(China Daily via AFP August 6, 2007)