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Champions delight manager by ‘winning the first trophy’Maresca wants Manchester City signings to arrive soonMikel Arteta said his Arsenal players demonstrated their hunger to defend the Premier League title in their Community Shield triumph over Manchester City. Arsenal, who ended their 22-year wait last season and are seeking to win back-to-back top-flight titles for the first time since 1934-35, beat City 3-0 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff in Enzo Maresca’s first significant match in charge.Riccardo Calafiori opened the scoring after 24 seconds, the fastest goal in the competition since Bobby Owen’s strike for City in 1968, before Kai Havertz doubled Arsenal’s lead and their captain, Martin Ødegaard, completed the scoring on 48 minutes. The 3-0 defeat represented the joint-heaviest loss for a City manager in their first game in charge, with Harry Newbould the most recent to suffer a three-goal opening defeat – 4-1, also to Arsenal, in 1906. It is also Maresca’s joint-heaviest defeat as a manager in England.Arteta was delighted with Arsenal’s convincing display. “I am obviously extremely happy with the performance, the result and winning the first trophy,” he said. “We talked about the desire we have to start the season and to show ourselves how much we want it and I saw a lot of positive things against a top opponent. I’m very impressed in the manner that we played, in the manner that we competed. That’s the standard for us. If we drive the standards at this level, I’m sure that we’re going to be really, really competitive.”Asked about the desire displayed by his team, he said: “Because we want to go straight again. The desire comes [because] I want to live that moment again. I want to live other moments, even bigger than them … we know what it’s going to take. We know the difficulty of the task. We’ve never done it at this club, to win it again. We know that it’s going to demand something special and we are ready for it.”Arteta praised the performance of Christos Tzolis, who was involved in all three goals. “He is a really intelligent boy and he has a massive quality, which is when he is in the last 20-30m [of the pitch] he is so composed to pick people out in and around the box,” said the Arsenal manager. “And also to finish actions and he has shown that again two or three times. He was decisive.”Ødegaard said the team’s performance was evidence they are capable of winning back-to-back titles. “We played some brilliant football,” said Arsenal’s captain. “[It was a] great performance and a great way to start the season. I always want to help the team as much as possible with goals and assists. I want to score more goals. We showed our level today. We’ve shown we’re ready. We’re serious and we want to do it again. We want to attack it. We want to do it again. When you get a taste of how nice it is you want to do it again. We want to win everything.”Maresca acknowledged City, who are closing on a deal to sign Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi as they prepare to sell Rodri to Barcelona, would welcome new arrivals before their league opener at home to Bournemouth on Sunday. Rodri did not travel to Cardiff, where Elliot Anderson started in midfield, and Jack Grealish arrived from the substitutes’ bench for his first City appearance since May 2025. “Any new signing, the sooner they arrive the better because we are starting the Premier League in one week and if they start to work with us as soon as possible it’s better that they can also understand the way we want to play,” he said.Maresca said he was not alarmed by the manner of the defeat. “In general I’m always concerned, even when we win games so imagine how [concerned] that we didn’t win the game,” said the Italian, who succeeded Pep Guardiola this summer. “It’s just the beginning, we have many things that we need to do better, I think the reaction was good after conceding the first goal and now try to reset and analyse the game and think from Tuesday about the next game.”

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Additions of Guimarães and Tzolis, plus re-emergence of Ødegaard, mean champions start clear favourites after Community Shield winIf this was a glimpse of the Premier League’s new order then the rest had better watch out. By the time Martin Ødegaard sat Gianluigi Donnarumma down to make it 3-0 to the champions, the Arsenal party was in full swing. “Can we play you every week?” their supporters gleefully taunted their counterparts in sky blue.Those in red and white who had made the journey to south Wales could barely believe what they were watching, even if winning the Community Shield is unlikely to spark the same kind of celebrations that were seen on the streets of north London in May after ending a 22-year wait to win the title. Having been forced to settle for three successive second-place finishes before finally reaching the summit, this time it was Manchester City’s fans who had to face the reality of being humbled by their closest rivals. As Viktor Gyökeres had put it beforehand: “Against City? In a friendly? We want to win.” That much was clear from the opening whistle at the Principality Stadium.It was fitting that the first match of the post-Pep Guardiola era should pit two of his former assistants and pretenders to his crown against each other. On this evidence Mikel Arteta’s powerful Arsenal squad, which looks deeper than this time last year after the additions of Bruno Guimarães and Christos Tzolis, will head into the new season as clear favourites to defend their crown after blowing away Enzo Maresca’s City in the space of 48 minutes.The Italian had barely taken his seat in the dugout for his first meaningful match since replacing Guardiola when his new side found themselves trailing. Myles Lewis-Skelly was a major factor in Arsenal finally getting over the line in May after being brought into the midfield engine room for the run-in when Martín Zubimendi had run out of gas. The teenager needed little more than 20 seconds to remind Thomas Tuchel what England were missing this summer with his brilliant pass for Riccardo Calafiori’s opener.Lewis-Skelly doesn’t turn 20 until next month but already looks a match physically for most – including City’s £116m new signing, Elliot Anderson. Lewis-Skelly’s future has been the subject of speculation this week, with reports that he had been offered to Manchester United and Chelsea. But after dominating Anderson and the veteran Mateo Kovacic in partnership with the outstanding Guimarães, Arteta will surely not allow him to depart in the next fortnight.As for Guimarães, one typically aggressive challenge from the Brazil midfielder to dispossess Phil Foden was all it took for Arsenal’s supporters to fall in love. The chants of “Bruno, Bruno” only amplified when he sprayed a crossfield pass perfectly into the path of Noni Madueke and City will have been relieved to see the back of him at half-time.By then, Kai Havertz had already made it 2-0 after a beautifully crafted goal involving Ødegaard and Tzolis, and City were hanging on for dear life. Seeing Declan Rice emerge for the second half was another reminder of Arsenal’s plethora of options, although the wisdom of Bukayo Saka returning so soon after England’s World Cup exploits remains to be seen in the long term. “He said it’s not done,” sang the Arsenal fans in reference to Rice’s post-match team talk at the Etihad Stadium after they were beaten in March, when he was introduced.The re-emergence of Ødegaard as an attacking force is yet another reason for Arsenal to feel optimistic. The captain’s campaign was severely hampered by injury last season but, after excelling for Norway at the World Cup, he was at the heart of Arsenal’s best moves and capped an excellent performance with a cool finish to round off the scoring. That was also greeted with chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” directed towards Maresca, who was seen deep in conversation with his players and staff at the full-time whistle.With Rodri set to depart for Barcelona, recruiting at least one more central midfielder to partner Anderson must be a priority. Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi would provide youthful energy, although given Arsenal’s strength in that department more experience will be required if they are going to mount a serious title challenge. Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández may fit the bill.There was a brief moment last autumn when Maresca’s former side looked most capable of challenging Arsenal before his squabbles with the hierarchy brought an end to the Italian’s tenure. It will take some time to make his imprint on a squad that was so heavily devoted to Guardiola, although Arteta said this week that he believes his newest rival has “the personality, the character and, especially, the knowledge” to be successful. For the Arsenal manager, the question is now whether he can build a legacy that could one day rival Guardiola’s. This was a good way to start.

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For Enzo Maresca, a miserable first competitive game in charge of Manchester City that began with Arsenal seizing the lead after 24.5 seconds ended with Mikel Arteta’s side lifting the Community Shield. Arsenal eviscerated City, Riccardo Calafiori’s smart opener after Myles Lewis-Skelly’s brilliant pass seemingly leaving their opponents with irrecoverable damage. Kai Havertz doubled Arsenal’s lead on 28 minutes and Martin Ødegaard in effect sealed the win three minutes into the second half, fooling Gianluigi Donnarumma in the City goal before finishing. On this evidence, the post-Pep era could be trickier than widely envisaged.Calafiori’s early strike in Cardiff provided the perfect tonic for Arsenal to continue the party atmosphere that electrified their Premier League title parade across north London at the end of May. The importance of this victory will be debated but by winning this competition, back at the Principality Stadium for the first time since 2006 owing to The Weeknd’s gig at Wembley, they have put down an impressive marker as they look to build on last season’s success. City, without Rodri amid doubts over his future, lacked any semblance of control. The England midfielder Elliot Anderson struggled on his competitive debut after his £116m move from Nottingham Forest.City had been lightly raced in comparison to their opponents – City played the first of their three pre-season matches this month in Hong Kong, while this represented Arsenal’s sixth outing since the World Cup – and how it showed. Arsenal were crisp in possession, clever in the way they pulled an ominously open City apart. City were exposed across the pitch but Donnarumma was particularly unconvincing in goal, at fault for Arsenal’s second, making a hash of his attempt to keep out Havertz’s header, and embarrassed for the third. Ødegaard delighted in feinting to shoot, sending Donnarumma seesawing to his left, and then promptly firing in a simple finish to the goalkeeper’s right. “Can we play you every week?” came the chant from the Arsenal support.For Arsenal, who begin their Premier League title defence at home to Coventry in Friday’s curtain-raiser, this impressive display will only heighten hopes of another blockbuster season. Arsenal look well-equipped to fight on several fronts, though remain in the market for a centre-back. Bruno Guimarães was busy in his first competitive outing and Christos Tzolis, their other debutant, shone on the left flank, involved in almost all of Arsenal’s good work.It was Tzolis’s fine header from Ødegaard’s cross that allowed Havertz to double Arsenal’s lead. For City, who host Bournemouth next Sunday, there was little to whet the appetite. Erling Haaland’s only real chance, towards the end of the first half, ended with the striker sending a wayward shot wide of David Raya’s goal after the ball bobbled.It was not supposed to be this easy for Arsenal. The previous three Community Shield matches had gone the distance, penalties deciding the winners. Here, that was never on the agenda. Instead Arsenal cruised to a 3-0 victory, the biggest win in the competition since they beat City in 2014, when Arteta captained the side from midfield. “We want to build on what we achieved and continue to have the ambition to win major trophies,” Arteta said before the game. “That starts today.”

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Updates from the 3pm BST kick-off in CardiffJonathan Wilson: Community Shield offers insightThe doubt for anyone when a long-strived-for goal has been achieved is hunger. Arsenal waited 22 years for their 14th league title and, compounding the yearning, finished second three times in a row before finally lifting the Premier League trophy in May. The physical exertions of last season were immense – as seen by Declan Rice’s clear exhaustion and Bukayo Saka’s intermittent contributions at the World Cup, where William Saliba picked up a back injury – but so too was the emotional strain.The first weeks of a new season after a major tournament, especially the World Cup, are often a little erratic anyway, but this feels like a particularly unpredictable start to a campaign. Nine of the 20 Premier League clubs have changed manager 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. There are unknowns and uncertainty everywhere, even at Arsenal. Mikel Arteta may be the longest-serving manager in the league but there are questions even there; it would be no great surprise if Arsenal were to start slowly. Continue reading...

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Wembley curtain-raiser can offer clues but it is no reliable pointer to a season – its winners have not landed the title since 2018The doubt for anyone when a long-strived-for goal has been achieved is hunger. Arsenal waited 22 years for their 14th league title and, compounding the yearning, finished second three times in a row before finally lifting the Premier League trophy in May. The physical exertions of last season were immense – as seen by Declan Rice’s clear exhaustion and Bukayo Saka’s intermittent contributions at the World Cup, where William Saliba picked up a back injury – but so too was the emotional strain.The first weeks of a new season after a major tournament, especially the World Cup, are often a little erratic anyway, but this feels like a particularly unpredictable start to a campaign. Nine of the 20 Premier League clubs have changed manager 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. There are unknowns and uncertainty everywhere, even at Arsenal. Mikel Arteta may be the longest-serving manager in the league but there are questions even there; it would be no great surprise if Arsenal were to start slowly.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. Enzo Maresca may look like his predecessor and his football may look like a version of his predecessor’s – notably from that period when he was his assistant manager – but he arrives at City 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. And while Chelsea clearly had problems with the balance of their squad, and got dramatically worse after he left, it wasn’t entirely clear he was making the best of the resources he had.The Community Shield is a first opportunity to make some kind of assessment of whether Arsenal’s hunger is as sharp as it was last season, and of how City’s squad are adapting to their new manager. It is, though, a largely ceremonial occasion, any lessons drawn to be taken with extreme caution. Not since 2018 have the winners of the Community Shield gone on to win the Premier League; in that sense, it’s a sort of anti-bellwether. Where it can give indicators as to the season ahead tends to be less in showcasing the strengths of a potential champion than in exposing the flaws that might bring a side low.This year is unlikely to bring a repeat of 1974, when the scrap between Kevin Keegan and Billy Bremner exposed both the Liverpool forward’s unease at the retirement of Bill Shankly and, more consequentially, the general loss of morale at Leeds after Brian Clough had succeeded Don Revie. Often the significance of the Community Shield is properly recognised only in retrospect. José Mourinho was clearly in a strange mood when he turned up for the 2015-16 game unshaven and in tracksuit bottoms and a baggy T-shirt before suffering his first ever defeat to Arsène Wenger. Few suspected, though, the chaos that was about to unspool at Chelsea, culminating with Mourinho’s dismissal that December.Last season, as Crystal Palace beat Liverpool on penalties after a 2-2 draw, there were abundant indications of what was to come, especially about Arne Slot’s side. Mohamed Salah seemed disconnected from the rest of the forward line. The defence was a mess. Twice they conceded equalisers. Whether they were recognised at the time is another matter; the difficulty is separating teething problems or a team being only partway through their preparation for the new season from longer-term issues that could still be undermining a team two or three months into the season.There are few obvious questions to which Sunday’s meeting could begin to offer answers. Bruno Guimarães came off the bench for Arsenal in Wednesday’s friendly against Como and could be involved, probably alongside Myles Lewis-Skelly in midfield. The 19-year-old 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. In that context, his celebration after scoring against Como, making a heart sign with his hands and tapping the badge, felt significant.After the sale of Leandro Trossard, the left side of Arsenal’s attack is in need of strengthening. Morgan Rogers went to Chelsea and Vinícius Júnior stayed at Real Madrid, but they did sign the 24-year-old Greece international Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge. Sunday offers an opportunity to see how he fits in, and whether Arsenal still need another option on that flank.For City, the biggest personnel issue probably surrounds the future of Rodri, whose proposed move to Barcelona is yet to materialise, which in turn leaves 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. Whether that includes Phil Foden in the long term is unclear. Since being named player of the year in 2024, he has struggled for form, but started the Inter and Atlético games. As others recover from the World Cup, the next few weeks offer an opportunity 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, having at last won the title. But it’s only the Community Shield; any conclusions should be treated with appropriate caution.