Community Shield: Ranieri and Mourinho's battle of faith

Leicester need a trophy to prove they are not a phenomenon. For Man Utd, a win will help Mourinho build confidence that he is bringing glory back.

*The Community Shield match between Man Utd and Chelsea takes place at 4:00 p.m. local time (10:00 p.m. Hanoi time).

Defending the Premier League title is an unprecedented pressure in Ranieri's career. Photo: Reuters.

"We have ambitions, but we know it will be difficult," said manager Claudio Ranieri ahead of the Community Shield. "I have forgotten everything that happened last season. I am only focused on the next season."

Ranieri is not just talking, although last season was the most brilliant achievement of the Italian coach's career. Leicester won the Premier League title in a chaotic season when the traditional giants were all weakened. That will no longer be the case next season, when Man Utd, Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea all made changes in the coaching bench and recruited heavily.

Leicester won the title last season against odds of 5000/1, but they also received odds of relegation for this season of 25/1. This shows that many people believe that Leicester is just a temporary phenomenon and cannot sit at the same table with the remaining big teams.

Ranieri struggled to keep hold of his key players during the summer but still had to part ways with key player N'golo Kante and transfer right-hand man Steve Walsh. He managed to convince key striker Jamie Vardy to stay, but last season's Premier League Player of the Year Riyad Mahrez has yet to make a final decision.

Tonight's match against Man Utd will affirm Leicester's determination, not only to win a title, but also to boost the morale of the entire team, giving those who are on the verge of leaving more motivation to stay.

Mourinho is the most impressive name to arrive at Old Trafford since Ferguson. Photo: Reuters.

Ranieri's opponent in the first match of the new season is none other than Mourinho, the coach who has won the Premier League three times. Mourinho succeeded Van Gaal just a week after the Dutch coach brought home the FA Cup last May. This shows that Man Utd have lost patience after three years of decline of the team after Alex Ferguson.

Mourinho's style of play is at odds with Man Utd's attacking philosophy, but that no longer matters. Mourinho's reputation ensures that his teams win titles, and that's what Man Utd need before they can think further, about traditional playing styles or philosophies.

"A week without playing in China is bad for us," Mourinho said, referring to the cancellation of the friendly against Man City. "We need to train, play football, the players need to play every minute. Now we have no chance to train, and we have to play Leicester, a real game."

"It's a game, but it's also an opportunity to get more minutes for some players. As far as I know, some players won't be able to play the full 90 minutes, but that's not a reason for me not to want to win this game," the Man Utd coach added.

Whether Leicester or Man Utd win today's match, they will face the curse of the team that wins the Community Shield not winning the Premier League title later. The last team to break this curse was Man Utd five years ago.

Expected starting lineup for the 2016 FA Community Shield match.

According to VNE