S Poddar
The atmosphere at Wembley was tinged with familiarity as Manchester City added another trophy to their growing collection. Granted, while the Community Shield will not carry quite the same weight as their FA Cup victory in May, this triumph keeps their hopes for a quintuple alive. Every single accolade counts for a club as towering in dominance as City.
But there was hardly any celebration from the City camp. Instead, the reaction of the team was almost muted–as if acknowledging that this victory, while big, was just another step in their journey. Manchester United took the defeat gracefully. If anyone should know, City is well aware how little the Community Shield carries over to the new season. Only one of the last 13 winners of this trophy has proceeded to become champions of England, which Ruben Dias summed up with scant opportunity for adornment: “It is what it is – another cup.”
The restart of English football arrived a mere four weeks or so since England’s defeat in the Euro 2024 final and felt a little too hasty. The 27-day holiday was hardly long enough to get over the tiredness of an overscheduled season. The weather at Wembley, close and clammy, matched the general impression of tiredness where fans and players might all have welcomed an extra few days off before getting back to it. This was replicated in the match itself, which at times felt disjointed but punctuated with moments of genuine excitement.
United’s team-sheet told its tale of what has gone wrong—with their injuries, as much as anything—and their squad-building. Erik ten Hag was desperate: having to field a 36-year-old Jonny Evans and having to play Lisandro Martínez at left-back, which means that had a little more time been available for integration of expected signings like Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, things might have looked very different.
Pep Guardiola, too, compromised a bit by resting Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Nathan Aké. But even without eight regular starters, there was no disputing the sense of City’s domination. The control in the first half hour was marked enough to show that this was a team of depth and strength that, even when they are not at full strength and resort to young, less experienced players, remain formidable.
Fifty years ago, the Charity Shield sent Kevin Keegan and Billy Bremner off in a game that felt far more meaningful than this one did. Though tension from that era was lacking, the match had its moments of drama. In the late stages of the match, Bernardo Silva equalized, following a frustrated challenge on Alejandro Garnacho, to remind everybody how quickly City can turn things around.
That City were able to stay in control, playing a makeshift lineup, reiterated that of a well-oiled machine. Their continued movement with precision and cohesion without some of their regular first-team players, one of whom was the injured Jack Grealish, would instill fear in any opposition. The capacity to adapt and still turn in such high return performances speaks not only to the depth of their squad but also how Guardiola’s system has been so well impressed upon them.
To United, the game gave glimpses of what might be possible this season. There were certainly signs of positivity, even if they are still some way behind City in terms of quality. Many of their attacking combinations promised a lot, especially those that involved Bruno Fernandes, Amad Diallo, and Mason Mount. But United’s inability to cash in on those moments spoke to the work still needing to be done – particularly when it comes to the case of Diallo, whose disinclination to shoot with his right foot remains a phenomenon.
Marcus Rashford’s display was a microcosm of United’s day: full of promise, hugely frustrating. His movement was incisive and he fashioned some good chances, but really it was let down by his finishing. That miss in the first half was exactly the type of opportunity he would have buried last season.
Probably the most encouraging omen for United, though, was the lack of the “doughnut” midfield which crippled them so often last season. They could become relatively compact even when pressed, which offered some evidence that ten Hag’s tweaks are beginning to bear fruit. Kobbie Mainoo, who was forced to hare around the pitch for much of last season as Casemiro labored alongside him, appeared far more comfortable in this configuration.
So what does this really tell us? In truth, not much. This felt just like a pre-season friendly, one with few revelations. City will probably carry on dominating the league, and United might get a bit better. But in terms of big picture things, this Community Shield was just the same story being told about two clubs heading in very different directions.
