Yesterday seen a great game of football for the neutral of the sport with the top two teams in the English premiership playing against each other for the charity shield.

This cup game is often seen as the final preseason game for the side just before the league starts again the following week and after weeks of preseason games and training Manchester United were going in to the game in the better form winning the majority of their pres season games in the United States where’s as for Chelsea this was their fifth successive defeat.

The game was exciting with both teams looking for the win but it was the class of united that led them on to win the shield with Scholes and the new kid Chicharito impressing.

Another weekend, another 3 points for Manchester United and Chelsea respectively. The Premier League 2009-2010 season now seems like it will be a two horse race between champions United and ex champions Chelsea. Both teams have brushed Arsenal aside with ease over the last week, and surely have the strength and depth in their squads to maintain title bids, whereas the floundering Arsenal, without their main striker Robin Van Persie, look decidedly weak.

Watching the game on Sky Sports yesterday, there was a comment that Arsenal WERE dangerous last season with their formidable partnership between Van Persie and Emmanuel Adebayor, now of Manchester City. They brushed aside AC Milan in the Champions League, and were a team that were nearly perfect, bar maybe 1 or 2 signings. Bring on the summer transfer window at the start of the season and what did they do? That’s right, they sold Adebayor and didn’t recruit anyone as a worthy replacement.

Arsene Wenger is a great manager, but I still feel that he has a stubborn streak that is leaving his side a little short when it comes to challenging for the Premier League crown. Hopefully my words won’t come back an haunt me.

So who will win the league this year? My bet in on the winner of the Manchester United vs Chelsea game at Old Trafford on 3rd April this year.

Sir Alex Ferguson, has challanged Owen Hargreaves to be fit and ready for the Champions League showdown with AC Milan in February. The Milan game comes in just 12 days time, and after all the injuries the reds have suffered this season, Hargreaves will be welcome return to the team who have lacked a defensive midfield player all season. Hargreaves has been out of action for some time with operations on both knees to try and fix a long term problem.

Darren Fletcher has been fantastic this term and is one of the regulars on Fergie’s team sheet when it comes to big games. Hargreaves, many feel is in the same mould when it comes to big games; remember he was England’s best player at the last World Cup against Portugal, and his tireless effort helped Manchester United lift the Champions League (European Cup) in 2008. Hargreaves has been given the target of a full week’s training to guarantee himself a place in the squad for Feb 16th.

Fergie said:

I would like to seem him make the squad for the Champions League fixtures against AC Milan, but we won’t rush him. We are being patient with the rehabilitation following his knee operations and he is alternating his training with the reserve and first-team squads, working for two days and then resting a day

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has just hit 100 Premier League goals. The United hit man reached the landmark against Arsenal on Sunday and could (and should) go on to hit another 100 if he stays at United for the rest of his career, as he has stated many times before.

There are rumours that Barcelona and Real Madrid are lining up £70million plus bids for the striker. But Rooney has stood firm and said that he plans on staying at Old Trafford. Rooney is in scintillating form after his 4 goal haul against Hull followed by the derby crushing of Manchester City in the Carling Cup and his goal at the Emirates against Arsenal at the weekend. Sir Alex Ferguson has set Rooney a target of 30 goals this season. By the looks of it he will be nearer 40 if he continues in such a rich vain of form until the end of the 2010 campaign.