• Community Shield preview

Noisy neighbours Man City to turn up Wembley volume

ESPN staff
August 5, 2011
Yaya Toure scored the winner when Manchester City beat United in the FA Cup semi-finals © PA Photos
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Traditionally the season opening FA Community Shield, or Charity Shield as it used to be known, has always fallen below the high standards of the Premier League in terms of work-rate, passion and drama. This season, though, the concept of 'community' will be far from Wembley as two warring factions from Manchester aim to set down a marker for the coming campaign.

After Manchester City ended their barren run with an FA Cup final win at the stadium in May, the wealthy 'noisy neighbours' - as Sir Alex Ferguson described them - are getting louder and this season will provide an insight into how noisy they could be in the future.

With the financial power behind them to challenge anyone in the world, City have turned the negativity surrounding the future of wantaway captain and talisman Carlos Tevez into a positive by immediately signing his replacement: £38 million Argentina international Sergio Aguero. Whether Tevez leaves or not, City are no weaker than last season and may yet use the rest of the transfer window to recruit further with Samir Nasri, Samuel Eto'o and Maicon all recently linked.

The Wembley clash could provide City fans with their first sight of Aguero in a blue shirt if he recovers from illness and blisters, but United will also be using the competition to showcase their new talent. The Premier League champions have spent £50 million on David De Gea, Phil Jones and Ashley Young and, while speculation continues that they will bring in Wesley Sneijder before the end of August, Ferguson looks content with his already impressive squad.

Wayne Rooney has urged his side to ''start the season with a bang'' while many pundits have tipped this to be one of the greatest season openers in history. Since the creation of the Premier League, only seven of the 19 Community Shield winners have gone on to win the Premier League, but whoever is victorious will fancy overcoming the odds to lift the one that really matters at the end of the season.

Man Utd player to watch: David De Gea. Stepping into the sizeable boots of Edwin van der Sar is not an easy task, but the Spain Under-21 international has all the attributes he needs to succeed. Incredibly down to earth, the tall goalkeeper will be thrust into the spotlight as the Manchester derby arrives, although he should be used to it having witnessed the Madrid derby in the past. Ferguson believes he has the right man to dominate for a decade and a few early saves will certainly settle the nerves.

Man City player to watch: Gael Clichy. A £7 million summer signing from Arsenal, left-back Clichy is determined to win silverware with his new club and shore up a position in which the club have struggled. His pace and stamina down the flanks will provide an outlet for City, while he will be looking to outdo international rival Patrice Evra on the other side of the pitch as he looks to impress France coach Laurent Blanc. Concerns over his concentration still permeate his game, but his experience of top-level games will be invaluable.

Key Battle: Tom Cleverley v Yaya Toure. The void left by the retired Paul Scholes is something that has worried Ferguson more than anything else this summer, but without an agreement for Sneijder or Nasri, he will turn to youth and give Cleverley a chance to shine. The young midfielder impressed against Barcelona in pre-season and also on loan at Wigan last year, but he could come up against a man mountain in Toure. The Ivorian plays in a more advanced role for City and uses his immense strength and power to charge forward to good effect - notable in last season's FA Cup semi against United and final against Stoke. The winner of this midfield battle could free up space in the centre for others and will certainly help to decide the outcome of the game.

Trivia: City have not been in the Community/Charity Shield since 1973 when they lost 1-0 to Burnley. United have competed in 14 of the last 19 and, with 18, are the competition's most successful team of all time.

Stats: The two Manchester giants have met once before in this competition: in 1956, Manchester United triumphed over City with a 1-0 victory. The last four cup meetings between these sides have seen a total of 16 goals scored, with both teams scoring at least once on each occasion.

Odds: Man Utd (13/10), City (21/10) and the draw (23/10) are on offer with bet365 while Wayne Rooney to score first comes in at 11/2.

Prediction: The gap between the two sides has never been closer in the Premier League era and City will relish the chance to seize the psychological initiative and upset their title rivals before the season has begun.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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