Wigan vs. Manchester United: Win Proves Red Devils Are Still EPL Favorites

With one match, Manchester United reminded people that they are still the class of the English Premier League.

The Red Devils won their first trophy under David Moyes with a 2-0 victory over Wigan in the Community Shield. While this is not considered one of the bigger events of the year, it was still a convincing victory in a competitive match.

This is something that Manchester United have been looking forward to all summer.

Things have not gone well for the club since the end of the last season. Longtime manager Alex Ferguson retired, leaving the team in the hands of Moyes, who has never had to live under the type of pressure he is facing now.

What followed has been a disappointing transfer window full of missed opportunities and no additions to the roster. To make matters worse, Wayne Rooney remains upset in his current situation and could be on his way out.

The inability to upgrade the squad has not given supporters any reason to feel confident heading into the year.

This all might have been forgiven if things had gone better in the preseason. Unfortunately, a number of losses and draws on the Asia tour against inferior teams made it seem like the club would not be ready for Premier League opponents.

That is what makes the win against Wigan so important. Even if the opponent turns out to be a mid-level foe, the victory was still impressive.

Robin van Persie scored two goals to remind people that he is still the best goalscorer in the league. Patrice Evra was great on both ends of the pitch and showed that he does not necessarily need to be replaced by someone like Leighton Baines. 

It was also nice to see Nemanja Vidic play a full match after a couple of years of injury struggles.

Even if Rooney does leave, this is still one of the most talented clubs in the league. The offensive attack with van Persie, Wilfried Zaha, Danny Welbeck, Shinji Kagawa and others is nearly impossible to defend. There is also a lot of experience at virtually every other position.

These players know what it takes to win against the toughest opponents in the world. They are the defending league champions, and they will not give away the title without a fight.

Although the summer has made it seem like the best of Manchester United has passed, the Community Shield match showed it is still a top club to beat.

Until someone actually takes them out in a competitive match, there is no reason to believe otherwise.

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