The Community Shield between Arsenal and Manchester City at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Sunday offers the first opportunity to assess Arsenal's hunger after their long-awaited title triumph and to gauge how City are adapting to life under new manager Enzo Maresca. However, the match is largely ceremonial, and history suggests caution: since 2018, no Community Shield winner has gone on to win the Premier League, making it an anti-bellwether for the season ahead.
Arsenal's hunger and a new-look attack
Arsenal waited 22 years for their 14th league title, and the emotional strain of last season was immense, as seen by Declan Rice's exhaustion and Bukayo Saka's intermittent contributions at the World Cup, where William Saliba picked up a back injury. The first weeks of a new season after a major tournament are often erratic, and this campaign feels particularly unpredictable, with nine of the 20 Premier League clubs changing managers this summer. For the first time in 40 years, none of the five big managerial beasts of the Premier League era – Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsène Wenger, José Mourinho, Jürgen Klopp, and Pep Guardiola – will be in charge of a club.
Mikel Arteta may be the longest-serving manager in the league, but questions remain even at Arsenal, and it would be no great surprise if they were to start slowly. The Community Shield offers a glimpse into whether their desire remains as sharp as last season. The left side of Arsenal's attack needs strengthening after the sale of Leandro Trossard. They signed 24-year-old Greece international Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge, and Sunday provides an opportunity to see how he fits in, and whether another option is still needed on that flank.
Bruno Guimarães and the midfield conundrum
Bruno Guimarães came off the bench in Wednesday's friendly against Como and could be involved, probably alongside 19-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly in midfield. Lewis-Skelly has been prominent in pre-season after Declan Rice, Martín Zubimendi, and Martin Ødegaard were given extended breaks after the World Cup, but he has been linked with a move. His celebration after scoring against Como – making a heart sign with his hands and tapping the badge – felt significant in that context.
City's new era and midfield overhaul
Manchester City are at the other end of the scale, after two seasons that were disappointing by their extremely elevated recent standards, and with a new manager after a decade under Guardiola. Maresca may look like his predecessor, and his football may resemble a version of his predecessor's – notably from his time as assistant manager – but he arrives surrounded by questions. He led Leicester to promotion and won the Europa Conference League and Club World Cup with Chelsea, but fans of those clubs seemed unconvinced by the style of play. While Chelsea clearly had problems with squad balance and got dramatically worse after he left, it wasn't entirely clear he was making the best of the resources he had.
For City, the biggest personnel issue surrounds the future of Rodri, whose proposed move to Barcelona is yet to materialise, leaving City hanging on a potential replacement. Enzo Fernández appears the preferred candidate, but whether his comparative lack of physicality can be accommodated deep in midfield, even after the signing of the robust Elliot Anderson, remains to be seen. Tijjani Reijnders started friendlies against Inter and Atlético but is on his way to Al-Qadsiah, while Bernardo Silva has joined Real Madrid, meaning a significant overhaul of midfield.
Phil Foden's chance and the loss of leaders
Whether that overhaul includes Phil Foden in the long term is unclear. Since being named player of the year in 2024, he has struggled for form, but he started the Inter and Atlético games. As others recover from the World Cup, the next few weeks offer an opportunity for him to reassert himself. Given he started only 11 games over the past two seasons, the departure of John Stones probably matters less from a footballing point of view than in the loss of a dressing-room leader. Without Stones and Silva – and Guardiola – the character of the squad cannot but be different.
Sunday constitutes an opportunity to see both what the new City may look like and how Arsenal have adapted after finally winning the title. But it's only the Community Shield; any conclusions should be treated with appropriate caution.
