Community Shield - Manchester City 0 - 3 Arsenal: Glorified Friendly Trophy in the Cabinet

[Jay29]

It's fair to say that this trip to Wembley was considerably less stressful than last season's. While the last trip was all about finally breaking that trophy drought and ending the season on a high after failing to challenge for the league right to the end, this game was all about continuing our pre-season preparations and enforcing the growing sense of optimism amongst Arsenal supporters that we're stronger now. Against Hull, Arsenal had to really dig deep to fight back from 2-0 down and win the game in extra-time. Today, against City, Arsenal had the game won in 70 minutes and could afford to take the foot off the pedal in the last 20.

Two distinctly different circumstances, of course. Neither side were at full strength, missing key players in key positions due to the World Cup. City's backline was a youthful pairing of Nastasic and Boyata and a left back at right back, and inevitably it wasn't going to be as solid as it would be with Kompany, Demichellis and Zabaleta. With it also being pre-season, despite their being a trophy on offer, the players were always going to hold themselves back. The game was competitive but you can be sure there would've been more challenges going in and more effort given if this were a Premier League game.

This context is important when examining Arsenal's performance. As excellent as it was, it's not indicative of anything. Arsenal aren't suddenly better than City, nor does it suggest Arsenal are going to win the league. After all, this was a trophy won by David Moyes and his iteration of Manchester United last season and we all know how that went horribly wrong (or right, depending on which side of the fence you sit).

Nonetheless, Arsenal and the fans will have a lot to be pleased about. I must admit that when I saw the line-up, I was concerned about our midfield trio. When Arsenal play a 1-2 as opposed to a 2-1, they tend to leave Arteta isolated against the opposing team's attacking midfielders and, as we've all noticed, he can't always keep up. My fears weren't totally unfounded as City did have a number of counter attacks, particularly down our left hand side, in which they created overloads and put the ball across our six yard box. These aren't necessarily Arteta's fault, but the extra holding midfielder may have been helpful cover.

As it was, Chambers and Koscielny were usually on hand to snuff out danger, and Arsenal showed great desire and energy when they didn't have the ball and hounded City when in possession. This, too, may have left us more open on the counter, especially when Debuchy pushed higher up the pitch, but overall it was a successful tactic, enabling us to keep the ball in City's half and enjoy a large share of the possession. This sort of aggression has been missing from our play and would be a welcome addition were we to bring it out consistently.

With the ball, we looked a threat. Our passing was quick and incisive. Sanogo did a good job holding the ball up, while he received good support from Ramsey, Wilshere and Cazorla from midfield. One feature I did enjoy was the overlapping fullbacks. Both Debuchy and Gibbs got forward to great effect, providing width and threat in behind. Alexis, meanwhile, showed that, while not completely fit, he will be an outstanding outlet with his ability to exploit space and carry the ball up the pitch at pace.

We controlled the game for large parts and the only disappointing thing was the number of chances maybe could have been higher. Still, we scored twice through excellent finishes from Cazorla and Ramsey, and Giroud's screamer rounded off everything nicely. I've highlighed this before but the attacking options Arsenal now have are exciting and if we play with this sort of intensity and confidence we'll be a potent force this season.

The signs are encouraging for the season ahead. For the first time in a while, we go into the season with genuine optimism, having built on last season's success with a good transfer window and with this performance. This is the sort of performance we need to put in regularly against the big teams and I hope we see it more often. Other than that, the squad looks ready now and we can look forward to the opening game of the season next week against Palace. It'll be a very different test against a side who'll likely be very solid and not show an awful lot of attacking ambition, so we'll see if we can bust out the pace, the midfield runners and overlapping fullbacks again.

So, overall, a great performance and result which we can't put too much meaning on, but can draw confidence from. There are no worries about transfers – a replacement for Vermaelen will be sorted in due time, I'm sure – so we can just enjoy the start of a new season.

[DuringTheWar]

I liked the midfield shape and performance, for the first time in a while. Maybe a 3 with wilshere and ramsey is the way to go rather than playing a "false" 10 like ozil.

[RealGunner]

Good work out though. Some players still look a bit sluggish. Sanchez included. Hope Koscielny is fine.

Chambers is fantastic. Only made 2 wrong moves today which was due to inexperience. Like letting Dzeko run past him. He will learn that obviously but it really looks like he was worth every bit of the money we paid for him.

Ramsey, nothing to say. Will score 20 goals at least in all comp.

Wilshere looked really good. Disciplined and mature display.

[RealGunner]

Wenger on Chambers: "He doesn't play at CB by coincidence. He deserves congratulations. He's never played with Monreal & was outstanding."

[RealGunner]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BusKb4tIgAAWj3S.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BusLueFCIAAdeES.jpg

[El Gunner]

Good performance.
Loved how we controlled the match. Chambers looks the real deal for his age and Sanogo is improving his link up and hold up play game-by-game.

We can't really read much into this game, for obvious reasons, but hey... That's another piece of silverware into the cabinet.
Well deserved
Now let's start the season with another win next Saturday against Palace.

[Sina]

https://33.media.tumblr.com/60ae51c537dfb75dbbfa659e529ab664/tumblr_na3lvewJiJ1r0w3wvo1_500.png

Get In

quite happy with our performance much better than i expected

good midfield shape in 1st half which we worried about before the match

overall given s\circumstances defended well esp on set piece bar some odd occasion

[Chumlum]

It was solid. Players looked good, fitness levels looked improve from a week ago. This 4-3-3ish shape is a really solid option, at least for when Özil doesn't play. I'm optimistic about the season, at least once that extra signing or two come in.

Love the look of Chambers. Debuchy is slotting right in seamlessly so far. Alexis looks like he's going to be terrifying when he's all caught up and fully integrated with the squad.

The commentators on Fox Sports ended up emphasizing how far removed from their best team Man City were. Which, two things:

1. Arsenal were missing full fitness & some key players too.
2. City have a billion dollar squad; I'm incredibly sorry their "B team" couldn't handle Sano-goat in the first half, nor penetrate a central defense comprised of Nacho Monreal and a teenager in the second.

[EL Patron]

Chambers played well today, strong in the air, good in the tackle and comfortable on the ball. Its good to know that we can count on him to play at the back when the numbers are thin. I like how solid our shape was without the ball, Arteta wasn't left exposed too often. We even looked solid when Monreal was playing centre half.

Sanchez looked good today despite being quiet, linked up well with Sanogo and was a threat on the counter attack. I like how he is given the freedom to play between the lines and link up with Sanogo, Santi and Ramsey. The likes of Giroud, Koscielny and Sanchez all got another 45 minutes today which is another bonus, with another week of hard work left in the training ground and the Germans coming back on Monday things are looking good at the moment

[mani88]

Congtraz guys.

This was an amazing shot.

[MJ]

Debuchy looks like he's been an Arsenal player for years. Dangerous on the right.

Alexis was a threat but seemed like he was a bit off pace and thinking too much when put in one on one situations. Needs to relax a bit, let instincts take control.

For obvious reasons, we can't take this match as meaning much but beating City and by such a margin, and adding another trophy feels great.

Good way to kick off the PL campaign.

[Great Leader Sprucenuce]

Well done in depressing me again. I hate watching teams who look like competent professionals.

[halamadrid2]

you just beat LaReal pls stahp

I wonder how Arsenal will line up when Mertesacker, Theo and Ozil get backs. Chambers has looked solid since his debut, Cazorla has looked incredible this preseason. Ozil is Ozil he will woo you but will frustrate you just as much and Theo will either indirectly bench Cazorla or Sanogo/Giroud . At least it's not as bad as us

[abirking]

Great Job from the Boys. Weakened or not it always feels good beating Moneycity with that Judas Nasri in the team. Great play all round. The right hand side of the defence still needs some work, with City making some dangerous moves from that side.
No trophy in nine years and now two in three months. The team is paying back fans for their faith.  

[FalcaoPunch]

Congrats guys.
Hopefully the first of many trophies for you guys this season.

(I'm secretly supporting you guys since you have a Colombian on the squad)

[urbaNRoots]

We can play the 4-3-3 more often in big games when we need better protection in midfield, even with Özil, I suggested the same when we were linked with Khedira and it worked very well with Wilshere instead who had a good game among others. Special mention to Chambers who's looked very good again.

[VendettaRed07]

Sexlum Chamberslin is just awesome

[AnJl]

Im thrilled about the win and we did great.....

BUT

This was basically handed to us. They played Clichy at rightback ffs, let alone the number of players missing.

Think about it this way:

If we had lost, it wouldn't have been like 'they lost to ManCity', but more like 'These morons couldn't even beat their 'B' team who were playing their leftback on the right'

Dampening the celebrations, I know, but I think we still need to hold our breath for a bit longer.

[Jay29]

Im thrilled about the win and we did great.....

BUT

This was basically handed to us. They played Clichy at rightback ffs, let alone the number of players missing.

Think about it this way:

If we had lost, it wouldn't have been like 'they lost to ManCity', but more like 'These morons couldn't even beat their 'B' team who were playing their leftback on the right'

Dampening the celebrations, I know, but I think we still need to hold our breath for a bit longer.

It works both ways.

City missed Kompany, Demichellis, Zabaleta, Fernandinho and Aguero. Arsenal missed Mertesacker, Ozil and Walcott. So City had to play a fringe player at centre back and a left back at right back; Arsenal had to play a 19 year old right back at centre back and a full back at centre back in the second half.

Sure, the lack of key personnel did effect the game, but let's not pretend that we had an overwhelming advantage because of it. City's weakened backline doesn't excuse their lack of attacking threat - that's an attack with Toure, Nasri, Navas, Dzeko and Jovetic which couldn't score against a centre back pairing of Monreal and Chambers. Meanwhile, our attack took advantage of their weakened defence and scored three goals.

Nobody's thinking we're going to romp our way to the title on the back of this result, so let's not discredit the win too much.

[Peccadillo]

Excited to watch this - couldn't watch it live due to other commitments.

Heard Rambos goal was a cracker and Sanogo did brilliantly.. Can't find the video.

B teams or not, mickey mouse match or not, great way to make a statement before heading into our first game next week.

[RealGunner]

If you can be bothered downloading

http://www.fullmatches.net/arsenal-vs-manchester-city-10-aug-2014-full-match-download/

[Jay29]

If you're in the UK, BBC has three minute highlights:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/28647186

Arsenal Player will have highlights from midday Monday, too

[El Gunner]

We can play the 4-3-3 more often in big games when we need better protection in midfield, even with Özil, I suggested the same when we were linked with Khedira and it worked very well with Wilshere instead who had a good game among others. Special mention to Chambers who's looked very good again.

Pls no.
The only way I can see that somehow working is with Özil playing in the position where Sanchez played in this match.

[Peccadillo]

If you're in the UK, BBC has three minute highlights:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/28647186

Arsenal Player will have highlights from midday Monday, too

Cheers - but unfortunately I've been living in Oz for 6 years.. Its a football fans nightmare. MOTD equivalents have you subjected to the musings of Bosnich and the like. I'm sure you can imagine.

I'm also at work so when video searching I have to avoid any sites ending in ru, etc. I'll download the match tonight when I get home  Cheers for that link btw RG!

[MJ]

www.footyroom.com always has quality highlights of matches.

Here were today's highlights if you don't mind Russian (I think it was Russian, I watched it a few hours ago)

http://footyroom.com/arsenal-3-0-manchester-city-2014-08/

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