Sir Alex Ferguson might have started to play mind games already but Luiz Felipe Scolari won't rise to the bait if Chelseas pre-season campaign is any guide.
Easily the most decorated manager of the last 20 years, Ferguson enjoys testing out 'new kids on the block' and Scolari, in terms of Premier League experience, is just that.
Ferguson's claims that Chelsea are unlikely to trouble United at the summit this season would have set the alarm bells ringing and at least elicited a barbed response from most quarters. But 'Big Phil is a shrewd cookie and he won't be getting drawn into a war of words with the Old Trafford supremo – yet.
He has a few more pressing issues at present and the main one being formulating a plan to wrestle back the Premier League title from Ferguson after the Red Devils' success in the last two seasons.
Jose Mourinho appeared to have the measure of Ferguson regards verbal jousting as Chelsea swaggered their way to consecutive Premier League titles under the charismatic Portuguese coach.
Scolari does not yet possess a strong enough grasp of the English language to impart too many pearls of wisdom, so the talking on the pitch will be sufficient for the time being. Nicolas Anelka and Ashley Cole were on target last night as Chelsea beat a Malaysian League Select team in front of 70,000 at the Shah Alam Stadium to record a third straight pre-season victory.
After completing their Asian tour with a 100 per cent record, the Blues switch to Moscow to face Lokomotiv on Friday and either Sevilla or AC Milan two days later in the Railway Cup.
"I need to test the players, but in Russia I will pick my team thinking about Portsmouth and I will not make more than three or four changes," said Scolari. "I am testing all my players, I only have 11 places available. I need to choose 11 for the game against Portsmouth.
"I need to look at the players and different formations, what position is the best for a player and what position I can use someone in during a game. If they try their best, it is my time to decide. I think I have my team for the first game against Portsmouth. I now have my ideas, not just after seeing the players on television. I know more about their personality on and off the field.
"Over the three games I have been able to see the players on the pitch so in the future, in a match situation, I know which player to use. The results are not important, it is match training, I need to look at the players and decide, yes or no. But I have the players who can play exciting football and I have the team who can be champions."
Robbie Keane may have departed and Dimitar Berbatov is still being heavily tipped for a move to Old Trafford but Spurs managed to stay focused on matters in hand at League Two new boys Aldershot.
The Shots have risen like a phoenix from the flames since their sad demise in 1992 and this culminated in promotion back to the Football League in April. Gary Waddock – former Queens Park Rangers legend – is the man at the helm and there would have been nothing he would have liked more than to put one over Spurs but a Tottenham XI won 3-1 at The Recreation Ground.
A youthful Tottenham outfit notched through David Hutton, Tomas Pekhart and Andy Barcham before Danny Hylton earned himself a moment of glory with the consolation strike.
The harbingers of doom have been circling West ham after they drifted through the last two months of last season and have yet to spend heavily in the transfer market. Nevertheless, Alan Curbishley has always maintained it was injuries that scuppered their chances of a top eight finish last term and Craig Bellamy proved once again that he will be like a new signing this term.
The Wales international notched a brace as the hammers won 2-0 at London Road whilst West Bromwich Albion finally recorded their first win of pre-season with a 1-0 triumph at Northampton.
Another Premier League side to taste success against League One opposition was Middlesbrough who won 2-1 at Carlisle with new signing Didier Digard on the scoresheet. Former Boro midfielder Lee Cattermole made his debut for Wigan as they romped to a 6-0 win at Barnsley whilst Stoke won 2-0 at Notts County.
