Manchester United 2-0 Wigan: Top Tactical Takeaways from Community Shield Clash

Manchester United have beaten Wigan Athletic 2-0 at Wembley to get David Moyes' reign off to an ideal start.

With his first piece of silverware out of the way and a clean sheet to boot, the former Everton man looked sheepish and modest in accepting his medal on Sunday afternoon.

It was one of the most hotly anticipated games of the decade, as the world craned their necks to get a glance at the new-look Red Devils side. What formation would he use, which players are in the plan and who's been marginalised in the new regime?

Here, we summise everything you need to know from the Community Shield opener.

It was a 4-3-3, of sorts

Throughout the summer, fans and analysts have been speculating over which formation Moyes would adopt as the Man United boss.

He stayed loyal to a 4-4-1-1 formation while at Everton, and initially there were suggestions he could continue with that basic shape at Old Trafford.

The 4-2-3-1 formation was used in preseason, particularly in East Asia, with Tom Cleverley and Anderson forming a suspect double-pivot.

Come game day, though, and when it mattered the most, Moyes opted for a loose, free-flowing 4-3-3 formation which maximised Wilfried Zaha, Rafael, Patrice Evra and Robin van Persie's chances of success.

It may not be the system he perseveres with—it's tough to see Shinji Kagawa fitting in, for example—but it worked well against a weaker Wigan side.

Zaha's Progress

Those who didn't watch any of United's preseason tour will have been surprised to see Zaha take his place in the starting XI at Wembley.

They will be expecting a similarly raw, if underwhelming, performance to the one he put in for Crystal Palace last time he graced the hallowed turf, but boy has he improved.

The learning curve will still be steep, but the comparisons between him and a very young Cristiano Ronaldo are becoming easier and easier to draw.

He overdoes it and overcomplicates it at times, but he's willing to take players on in a one vs. one situation.

He needs games and patience, but we're starting to see what Sir Alex Ferguson saw when he sanctioned a big-money deal for him in January.

The formation deployed suited him down to the ground as a right forward, and he's already showing decent links with his full-backs and central midfielders.

Single Pivot Argument

Spain set the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup Group Stages alight, playing a 4-3-3 with just one holding midfielder and blitzing teams with flurries of goals.

Xabi Alonso's injury meant only Sergio Busquets was available to fulfill the role in front of the back four, and instead of drafting in a replacement, Vicente del Bosque went all-out attack.

It worked initially, but came woefully unstuck against stronger, better opposition.

The U21 side used a similar formation in the European Championship this summer, with Asier Illarramendi providing a crunching presence at the base of the midfield.

Michael Carrick was deployed as the deepest midfielder at Wembley, and while Wigan barely troubled him, there were signs that the formation could easily struggle.

It'd be surprising to see Moyes deploy this style against one of the bigger sides early on without recruiting a Marouane Fellaini/Luiz Gustavo type to sit and shield.

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