Robin Van Persie is at the double as United clinch the Community Shield with a comfortable win over Wigan. Kevin Mirallas and Nikica Jelavic notch their fourth goals of pre-season as Everton get the better of Real Betis, Luke Shaw pulls out of England Under 21 duty with a knee problem, Cesar Azpilicueta admits he’s not yet fully match-fit as Chelsea’s double Gameweek fast approaches and reports in the local press suggest Philppe Coutinho may be moved into a central position this season for Liverpool:
Man United 2 Wigan 0
Robin Van Persie served a reminder of his capabilities ahead of next week’s season opener at Swansea by grabbing both United’s goals at Wembley yesterday. The Dutchman needed less than quarter of an hour to open his account for the campaign, heading home a Patrice Evra cross, before adding a second just before 60 minutes after being teed up by Danny Welbeck – the latter was preferred in the support role to Shinji Kagawa, who managed just seven minutes off the bench.
Phil Jones started alongside Nemanja Vidic at centre-half, while Wilfried Zaha was again given the nod on the right wing by Moyes – Zaha’s chances of starting next week at Swansea were bolstered by the news that both Nani and Ashley Young were omitted from yesterday’s squad after picking up injuries. David Moyes was dealt a blow after Rafael limped off after just 16 minutes with a suspected hamstring injury – the Brazilian is, of course, suspended for the Swansea clash but, post-match, the United boss didn’t seem too concerned – a suggestion, perhaps, that his withdrawal was no more than a precautionary matter,
“Rafa said that he felt his hamstring and in a game like this when you have an opportunity to make substitutes, it was fine. He is suspended for the first game of the season anyway, so in a way, I wouldn’t say it doesn’t matter but it won’t have an effect on what we do next weekend.”
While Moyes was giving little away, reports in the local media have suggested Rafael may be out for “four to five weeks” with the problem – if such a scenario transpires, Jones looks the likeliest beneficiary, as he shifted to right-back upon the Brazilian’s departure, allowing Chris Smalling to slot in beside Vidic in the centre.
Everton 2 Real Betis 1
Roberto Martinez rolled out a 4-3-3 formation in the Toffees final match of the summer. With Marouane Fellaini missing out due to a minor injury, Ross Barkley started alongside Darron Gibson and Leon Osman in central midfield, while the in-form Nikica Jelavic got the nod ahead of Arouna Kone as the lone forward, with Kevin Mirallas and Steven Pienaar handed the flank roles up top. Once again, Mirallas and Jelavic continued their impressive pre-season form under the new manager – the Belgian teed up the former Glasgow Rangers man for the opener before notching the hosts’ second; ahead of next weekend’s trip to Norwich, the pair have each scored four of Everton’s 12 goals over the summer.
After the game, the Everton boss issued an injury update on Fellaini and Gibson, who was subbed off at half-time with a knee problem. While the Belgian is expected back imminently, Gibson’s potential absence could perhaps hand Barkley a chance to stake a claim for regular game time under the Spaniard:
“Marouane would have been available if it was a competitive game. He picked up a cut on the US tour. Bearing in mind he has to join the Belgium squad now – and in two days the infection will clear – I didn’t want to risk hurting him. Darron is the only negative. We have been quite fortunate throughout pre-season not to pick up knocks and bruises, but in the warm-up he opened his knee slightly, so he’s got a grade one ligament problem. We’ll have a clearer idea of it in the next 48 hours.”
In Other News
Brendan Rodgers has spoken of his intentions for Daniel Sturridge over the season ahead after he returned from a summer-long ankle injury last weekend. The Liverpool boss has arranged a behind-closed-doors friendly this week in order to boost the forward’s chances of making Saturday’s home game against Stoke and, although Iago Aspas and Luis Suarez (once his suspension ends) offer possibilities as the lone forward, Rodgers made it pretty clear it is Sturridge who will take up the most advanced role:
“He has wanted to be in this position – leading the attack for a big club with everything that brings. He was in really good form at the end of last season which got him called up for England and it was unfortunate he got a bad injury. But I can have no complaints how he has worked. I’m sure this season he can demonstrate he is a top striker.”
An article in the local press also suggests Philippe Coutinho is being earmarked for a role in “the hole” behind the former Chelsea man – a suggestion Rodgers is set to move to a 4-2-3-1 formation. Allegedly, Suarez had initially been pencilled in with a move to the flank as Rodgers is keen for the Brazilian to operate more centrally this season and the Reds manager admitted at the weekend he was “looking for someone on the left with pace and who can score goals”, with the Suarez situation forcing him to reassess his plans before the transfer window closes.
Southampton’s Luke Shaw has withdrawn from the England Under 21 squad to face Scotland tomorrow evening. The left-back is awaiting scans on the knee problem that forced him off in Saturday’s friendly win over Real Sociedad amid fears he may have sustained ligament damage. Any potential lay-off brings Danny Fox into contention for a regular role and adds to Mauricio Pochettino’s worries at the back – Nathaniel Clyne has yet to feature over the summer but his manager remains optimistic he could return to training this week, with Callum Chambers on standby to deputise if he fails to recover in time.
Chelsea’s Cesar Azpilicueta has admitted he’s still building up his match fitness after an extended break over the pre-season. The right-back’s international duties for Spain in the recent Confederations Cup meant he has not long returned to domestic action and speaking to the Blues website after the weekend win over Roma, he revealed:
“I feel good after an hour. Sometimes you need to increase your minutes little by little and it was good to play 60, it’s the correct way to approach the season. Sometimes in training I have felt tired but it is normal and you need to work and we have one more week to be fit for the first game. I came back later because of the national team, so we had more days out and now we have an international friendly game to prepare. It’s another game to be able to play to build fitness. We play on Wednesday and then travel back to London, so I hope I will be ready for the league.”
While Juan Mata and Fernando Torres have both been omitted from the Spain squad to face Ecuador on Wednesday evening, Azpilicueta faces a lengthy period of travel before returning to Stamford Bridge on Thursday. With a home game against Hull on Sunday afternoon, it may well be that Jose Mourinho decides to ease him back into the fold, with Branislav Ivanovic looking the favourite to start against Steve Bruce’s side. Bearing in mind they face a trip to Old Trafford the following weekend, Azpilicueta could be handed a starting berth for Tuesday evening’s match at home to Villa if Mourinho decides to utilise the depth of his squad; a potentially frustrating scenario for Fantasy managers looking for a secure route into Chelsea’s defence for double Gameweek 1.
