On the FA Community Sheild: What we found out about Manchester United.

So today Manchester United won back the FA Community Shield from Chelsea 3-1. This was a huge match because it shows both teams where they are in comparison to one another, and Man U's win tips the balance in a big way. Let's look at all of the great (and perhaps not so great) things we learned from today's game about Man U:

1. Rooney's as hungry as ever. Though he didn't score today, and didn't even have a shot, Rooney was all over the field and looked as fiesty as he usually is. This was epitomized when he lost the ball cheaply and proceeded to chase down Nicolas Anelka and rip the ball away from him with a perfectly executed slide tackle.

He also set up United's first goal, slotting a ball perfectly across the six for Valencia to finish. Rooney hasn't found the goal for any side, Man U or England, since March, but something tells me that is going to change in the season opener against Newcastle.

2. Van Der Sar's still got it. Edwin Van Der Sar is the current 37 year old number one for Man U. Some were questioning his fitness this year and were calling on manager Sir Alex Ferguson to look for a new keeper, perhaps Federico Marchetti. But Alex waved his finger in front of all of us and pointed to Van Der Sar's performance today, showing his immense capabilities in both reflexes, reach, and skill on the ball.

Old Edwin is as adroit as ever, and he will certainly not be a problem for United this year.

3. Chicharito is a beast. Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez is the newest signing for Man U. He's a 22 year old Mexican (the first to play at Man U) who comes to Old Trafford from Chivas Guadalajara. So far, Chicharito ("The Little Pea") has played in four games sporting the Man U crest. He's obliged Sir Alex by scoring in all of those appearences.

Today, Chicharito recieved a ball fed low and hard with pace by Valencia in front of the gaping goal, flicked it up, and knocked it in off his face. This is a young man who literally cannot help scoring, it just comes naturally to him.

Another thing I love about Chicharito is the way he hugs the offside trap. This is a fad in Central and South America (currently practiced with great results by Diego Milito of Inter) and is a good sign of a great player. Even if he is called off once or twice in a game, this technique shows that Chicharito is absolutely salivating for goals and is also an intelligent footballer.

Chicharito is already winning comparisons to Hugo Sanchez, the legendary striker from Mexico. So that's awesome.

4. Michael Owen's out of gas. Poor Michael is a 30 year old legend for United and England and is a hometown favorite. Unfortunately today he showed his age in more than one way.

He simply wasn't thinking about scoring, he seemed to be in another place for the whole half he was in. John Terry threw him around like a rag doll and he could barely pass. I think we might be seeing the dying embers of Michael.

5. Berbatov is a great player. Dimitar Berbatov's chip to add the third goal for United and the final nail in Chelsea's coffin was simply immaculate. It's difficult to describe Berbatov's style of play, because everything is so percise and yet so off the cusp. He weighs every touch so perfectly, every minute detail of his play is so finely tuned. And yet, he's merely reacting to what's happening around him. Berbatov has scored four goals in six games, and I think we could be looking at his breakout year for United.

6. Man U will win the title. What we saw today from United was everything that a team needs to win the title in the Premiership. They have depth, class, competetive fire, the right mixture of inspired youth and experienced elders, and they've got a great manager to light the way. I think Man U's short hiatus away from number one will end this season.

On Roy Hodgson: Why he could win the title for Liverpool.

Roy Hodgson took over for Liverpool after the unpopular Rafa Benitez was sacked. Since he has taken over, Hodgson has brought Joe Cole in his prime years, smoothed things over with Torres (to some extent), and has been pumping up his team to make a run for the title. I'd like to use this opportunity to look over what it is that is going to make Hodgson (possibly) succesful this year in the Premier League.

1. Put up or shut up time. There are a number of players on Liverpool's squad who have been in quite a slide as of late. Particularly Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, and Glen Johnson. These players have been basically absent for the Reds, for injuries or otherwise.

For a lot of these guys, it's time to put their money where their mouth is. They're coming off one of the worst seasons in Liverpool's history, and failure this season could mean a long, slow decline for the Reds in the future.

Especially Gerrard and Torres, both of him it is becoming more and more likely are going to stay at Anfield. These two guys have had ample opportunity to explore other options at other clubs, so their decision to stay certainly adds pressure.

Hodgson himself is coming off the biggest moment of his career turning unfancied Fulham into Europa finalists. And his only really big job before this was Inter, where he didn't last long at all. He's got a make a stake to be this club's manager for a long time, and I think he may be motivated enough to do just that.

Anyway, moving on.

2. Man-management, smart financial decisions, and doing what's best for the team. Hodgson is known for being extremely gifted at man-management, and to that end he could be the best of the Big Four clubs at handling the institution of the new Premier League rule that puts a 25 player maximum on each club and that a minimum of 8 of them have to be English.

Hodgson so far added Danny Wilson, who is a very talented young central defender who is more than likely a long term replacement for Jamie Carragher. This probably means that Reds veteran Daniel Agger will be pushed out to the left, where Liverpool are notoriously short. But this was a very cheap, very money concious transfer, and it's exactly what Liverpool needed.

But, I just learned that the Reds are looking at Mexican defender Carlos Salcido from PSV to go to Liverpool to play left back. Great. I love Salcido, he's really good. A problem though: Salcido is also adventerous as hell, and with him and Glen Johnson constantly being out of the barn, who's going to guard the prize horse? And Mascherano won't be around next season to clean up the mess, either. Though I think Hodgson is fully capable of instating some discipline, so maybe we won't see a problem there.

Another one I've heard muttering about is German left back Marcell Jansen, but apparently Hamburg are just having none of that.

Then he added Joe Cole. Cole is going to have to be Hodgson's boy. Wenger had Fabregas (and Thierry Henry), Benitez had Carragher, Sir Alex Ferguson had Giggs, now Hodgson's going to have to have Cole. Cole's raw potential is, apparently, practically bottomless. It's said that his ball skills rival Messi, which I'll still have to see to believe. The attack of Torres, Gerrard, and Cole is potentially so star-studded and powerful, that no one would stand a chance, but it's all theoretical at this point. It's all riding on Cole. He knows it, and I think it will drive him. He's been riding the bench at Stamford Bridge behind Saloman Kalou for three years, I think he's ready for his shot.

Now, speculation is afoot that Hodgson will add Park Chun-Young, the South Korean goal maniac. Chun-Young could be the magic touch for the Reds this season. Let me explain: Hodgson uses a 4-4-2. That "2" in the front means "Torres can't be alone anymore." And I think that's good. I really think that Torres works better when he's splitting time with someone else, he's just that kind of striker. And Chun-Young could be just that "2." This is another example of Hodgson being a money concious manager that still has the best interest of the club in mind.

3. Finally, Hodgson knows how to motivate a team. Liverpool may need a kick in the rear end. I think a lot of their guys are tired, unmotivated, and discouraged. And we're looking at a season that could see a lot of younger guys stepping up for this team, like Aquillani and Wilson. I think Hodgson has the ability to get these young guys to use their heads and really learn how to win.

I think he can also pull Gerrard and Torres up by their boot straps and give recent transfers like Cole a real fighting chance in the starting eleven.

These are my basic indicators as to why Hodgson could be able to drive Liverpool on to win the Premiership.

On Joe Cole: What his move to Liverpool means for the Reds, for himself, and for English football

Before I start breaking down what I think of Joe Cole's move from Chelsea to Liverpool, I think it will help if I give a bit of a background on Cole.

Joe Cole is now 28 years old. He has spent his career in the English Premier League playing mainly for Chelsea, unfortunately, that career was rife with injuries. Cole came into the EPL as one of the most hyped players since Lampard. And by all accounts, he is capable of delivering. Cole's potential is pretty massive, he's got all kinds of skill and the pace to go with it, along with a traditional fighting spirit you would expect of an English national.

At the World Cup, Cole seemed to be one of the brighter points of a dismal English side when he got his chance to play. The problem for Cole has always been staying fit, a scourge of many other potential greats, most recently Fernando Torres.

Now, I'm going to break down what I think of this move.

I have no idea why Liverpool did this. They just spent so many resources keeping attacking midfielder Steven Gerrard at Liverpool and acquiring natural wide midfielder Maxi Rodriguez from Atletico Madrid. And they've still got Dirk Kuyt in the starting line-up. Really the only reason I can think of that they would do this is to replace Yossi Benayoun, whom is on is way to Chelsea, so I guess it was what we in America would refer to as a "trade."

But there are other reasons why I don't like this for the Reds. Chief among these reasons is the fact that they've added a player who is infamous for being injury prone to a club side already absolutely devastated by injuries with Torres' fitness again in question after he hurt himself again in the World Cup Final.

It is being said that Joe Cole made this transition because he was promised playing time by new Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson. But with the condition that Liverpool is in right now, who's to say how long Hodgson may last as the manager? And even if he was, would you have any difficulty working him in with new signing Rodriguez in the mix? Or even Liverpool stalwart Lucas in the middle? I think not.

This is a major major gamble for me from manager Hodgson, but I do like it for one big reason: Cole is English. Liverpool for me was a club in the EPL that you could particularly pick on for not fielding English national players, so for that, I think this is a good move.

I wish Cole the best of luck, because he without doubt deserves it, but I don't have the highest hopes for this one.