It's basically the same. At least pre-season tour matches have more than one match. They have allow 6 subs for one thing. That tells you all you need to know about the competitiveness of the thing. Obviously I'm not celebrating it really, didn't bother to watch it. It's just a joke you see as Mourinho kept being so insistent that the charity shield was trophy and thus he won a treble.
Considering the squad you already had, the amount you spent on investing it, yes it's a mediocre season. For bitterness about Man Utd you're about 4 or 5 years too late, back when you were good and had the best manager in the world, and Liverpool were struggling, I might've been a bit bitter back then, but now with spending hundreds of millions despeartely trying to buy back the League with the Portuguese Tony Pulis, less so. Should definitely have been looking to at least challenge for the League with that, you barely challenged for 5th. Two trophies is nice and a great season all factors excluded, but with the investment, the squad already there, the good fortune in draws and remaining teams etc. then it is not a great season.