Manchester United ironing out the creases

The Community Shield is a mere dress rehearsal for the combative fixtures between the two sides that could decide the Premier League title again.

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It can appear an enviable demonstration of dominance when Sir Alex Ferguson decides to deem the Community Shield the last of Manchester United's pre-season fixtures. For others, it is an opportunity to secure silverware. For Ferguson, who has won 26 more prestigious trophies in his time at Old Trafford, it is less important. This is almost an annual event, a match United are playing in for the 12th time in 15 seasons and a prize they have won eight times under the Scot.

There was mockery in Manchester when Gerard Houllier kept repeating that Liverpool won five trophies in 2001. This, for United, barely counts. Ferguson's approach was summed up in 2008: "It's always a game we never quite use of a do-or-die thing, we use it as a barometer for fitness." The modern version is similar: "We take the long-term view." The Community Shield, then, can produce a team that looks like United but is not quite United. It has witnessed the appearance of some unlikely figures; their bench has included Fraizer Campbell, Rodrigo Possebon, Chris Eagles and Lee Martin in recent years, players who would usually only be seen in the stands for major matches.

The sense that the clash with Chelsea is mere preparation for next Monday's meeting with Newcastle is increased by the circumstances. World Cup summer means a gradual reintegration of their international performers. Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick, Nemanja Vidic and Ji-sung Park figured for the first time in Wednesday's meeting with Bohemians. So, after injury, did Antonio Valencia. Recuperation and rehabilitation play as great a part as winning. Yet it is the first significant indicator of Ferguson's intentions for the season. With Rio Ferdinand sidelined, is new signing Chris Smalling the preferred deputy? Or will it be Jonny Evans or John O'Shea? Who, among the many options, ranks as the first-choice right-back? Where is Javier Hernandez placed in the queue for places in attack?

The Mexican forward's sharpness was apparent both in the World Cup and in his initial outings for United after his £7 million (Dh40.996m) move from Chivas in his homeland. Ferguson has likened him to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, which is high praise indeed, but could indicate that Hernandez has been pencilled in as the resident super-sub. There is a case for parachuting the newcomer into the team, though Michael Owen has been guaranteed 45 minutes today.

And, as ever, there is the question of the old-timers. Ryan Giggs has been strolling around majestically in the centre of midfield during the tour of North America. Paul Scholes took on a still greater importance last season and with Owen Hargreaves injury-prone and Anderson accident-prone - the Brazilian was pulled from the wreckage of a burning car in Portugal this week - he remains a pivotal figure.

Perhaps, though, he is too significant and will be saved. It is an age-old philosophy at United that they should peak at the business end of the season; it is no coincidence that their last four Community Shield triumphs have come on penalties. This is a team which is yet to be fine-tuned in early August. But it is still Manchester United versus Chelsea, still a dress rehearsal for the fixtures that could decide the title again and still a chance for revenge for a controversial and crucial 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford in April. So this is not about the bauble, but the battle.

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