5. Management
After a poor pre season campaign in Asia, with average performances and nothing to get the fans excited, Manchester United have not had the most positive preparation for the new season. Nevertheless, although results may not have always gone their way, what the pre season fixtures did do was enable Moyes to bond with his new squad and decide on their strengths and weaknesses. He has taken on the Herculean task of following in the footsteps of Sir Alex Ferguson and this was never going to be a smooth transition. It was clear from the tour of Asia that Moyes was willing to experiment his squad and test out young players. He took this new knowledge into the first competitive fixture of the season against Wigan Athletic in the Community Shield. United put in a strong performance with the likes of
van Persie and Zaha playing well. The signs that Moyes is starting to get to grips with life at Manchester United are clearly there, however pre season and the Community Shield will pale into insignificance as soon as the Premier League begins. That will be where the test truly begins to start and we shall see if he holds his nerve and continues to make the shrewd tactical decisions that made him such a fan favourite at Everton. Differently, under Michael Laudrup, Swansea have had a sensational pre season campaign,
scoring 28 goals and conceding just one in seven matches. Their preparation for the new season has clearly gone very well and now, under a manager who has settled at the club, they will be aiming for their most successful season in the Premier League to date. Laudrup has steadily built a strong squad and knows how to get the best out of his players. They will surely be highly organised on Saturday and at this stage it is hard to see who out of the two managers will win the tactical battle.