Home » Manchester United 2-0 Wigan Athletic: Five lessons we learned

Manchester United 2-0 Wigan Athletic: Five lessons we learned

by Sam Peoples

A comfortable win in second gear. A lot was built up to today’s game against Wigan because it was David Moyes’ first game in charge of Manchester United and in the most clinical of fashions, he and United delivered with a professional victory.

It was nothing special, it was nothing to write home about and it didn’t need to be. The result was the only important measure today and Moyes’ United secured the first trophy of the post Sir Alex Ferguson era with consummate ease.

United played a far more measured game than they did throughout the pre-season. A football game becomes entirely different when something is on the line and it showed today.

As far as perfect competitive debuts go, Moyes will be very pleased with United’s performance. We never struggled to contain Wigan’s attack and looked like the only team who was ever likely to score.

Lots of love for Zaha. The more I watch Zaha play for United, the wider the smile grows on my face. It has been a long time since we have a winger in our side whose first instinct is to run at his defender who, more often than not, beats his man. That is Zaha’s bread and butter.

There is so much more to Zaha. You can see him grow into his own with every performance that passes. At 20, he really is some talent. While it is wise to try and stay level headed about new players amid big pressures, it is hard not to get overexcited about Zaha.

He has been on a steady upward curve so far at United and if he continues in the same vein, Zaha is going to be some player come the end of the season.

The first of many for Moyes. The Community Shield may not be a trophy that Moyes will write home about but it is a trophy nevertheless. There is still a parade, champagne, fireworks and a presentation. It is still silverware.

Moyes has the most unenviable task ahead of him of following in the footsteps of Sir Alex Ferguson. The road ahead is going to be tough and it will be full of dizzy highs and horrible lows, but United’s triumph today is the perfect way to start the season.

As it stands, David Moyes’s managerial record at Manchester United is played one, won one. More of the same, David.

It’s Robin van Persie time. Few expected van Persie to score 30 goals in his debut season at United but now that he has had a full pre-season under his belt, everyone expects the Dutchman to fire on all cylinders from the first whistle against Swansea next weekend.

Van Persie admitted that he wasn’t 100% fit when he made his debut against Everton last season but judging from his two goals today, he looks sharp and ready. There aren’t many players in United’s history who had such a big impact in their first season like van Persie did and there are even fewer who maintained that level in their second season but I am fully confident that van Persie will do exactly that, and more.

The season starts now. A mixed pre-season and a Community Shield victory all becomes irrelevant as soon as United kick off against Swansea next Saturday in the Liberty Stadium. Everything that Moyes has done since officially becoming manager on July 1 has led up to that game and it is going to be the start of United’s most unpredictable season in nearly three decades.

Nobody knows what is going to happen. Everyone is hopeful that Moyes can hit the ground running and settle right into life as United manager but with the biggest job in world football comes the biggest pressures so anything can happen. Bring on Swansea next weekend.

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