Man Utd win Community Shield, but is there trouble ahead?
Silverware may come at a cost as Mourinho upsets Juan Mata and may have to tackle problems in midfield and attack
Manchester United claimed the first silverware of the season this weekend, getting new manager Jose Mourinho off to a winning start as his side beat Premier League champions Leicester City at Wembley.
The 2-1 victory came courtesy of goals from Jesse Lingard and, inevitably, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whose header earned the trophy after Jamie Vardy equalised for the Foxes.
But there was plenty for United to chew on even in victory:
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The end for Juan Mata?
"There are two certainties with Jose Mourinho: controversy and trophies," says Jeremy Wilson of the Daily Telegraph. "It should come as no surprise, then, that he should deliver both in his first big outing as the new Manchester United manager."
The controversy came when Mourinho decided to haul off midfielder Juan Mata less than 30 minutes after he had brought him on. The Spaniard, who is already being linked with a host of new clubs, was visibly angry at the decision, which the manager justified by pointing out that he was the smallest United player on the pitch.
The move came just as Leicester launched a late aerial bombardment of the United box and Mourinho said he wanted taller players in the area to defend.
"To substitute a substitute is always a potentially provocative move," says the Telegraph. "While Mourinho did have a perfectly plausible explanation, it was also hard to ignore the wider context of how he previously sold Mata at Chelsea. Mata initially looked deeply unhappy at his treatment although he did later join the victory celebrations, and Mourinho was adamant that he understood the tactical rationale behind his decision."
The same old problems?
Even Mourinho cannot reinvent a team in the space of a single summer and there is plenty of evidence that United are still suffering from the problems that bedevilled them under Louis van Gaal - the 0-0 draw with Everton in Wayne Rooney's testimonial being a case in point.
"The Portuguese warned this week it would take time to change his players' mentality after two years of former boss Louis van Gaal's regimented safety-first style, and he was right," says Chris Bevan of the BBC.
"For much of the game they did not look very different to how they did under the Dutchman, with their continuing lack of creativity their most obvious failing, something Lingard's fine individual effort could not disguise."
The arrival of Paul Pogba could be the key to clearing the cobwebs from midfield.
How will Ibrahimovic and Rooney work?
There were signs of chemistry between the two veterans in last week's testimonial, but there could be trouble ahead, believes Michael Cox of The Guardian.
In big games against good teams at Paris Saint-Germain, Ibrahimovic would abandon his orthodox striking position and drop deep - he did so against Leicester on Sunday, but those areas are "Rooney’s domain", notes Cox.
"It would be unfair to criticise their relationship after one game, but the question is whether Rooney still possesses the necessary dynamism to make continuous sprints and exploit the space created by Ibrahimovic, or whether they will simply play in front of opponents rather than offering penetration, which was a major problem under Van Gaal. Both players, you suspect, would prefer to play alongside a nippier, more mobile attacker at this stage of their careers."
The curse of the Community Shield
Winning the first silverware of the season is a reason to celebrate, says the Daily Mail, but could there be trouble ahead?
"No side has managed to win the Premier League after lifting the trophy since United themselves in 2010-11," says the paper. "The Old Trafford club's other win in the competition since 2011 before Sunday's game will also be remembered less than fondly. David Moyes captured the trophy in his first competitive game with his then-new side, beating Wigan Athletic 2-0 courtesy of two goals from Robin van Persie."
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