What to expect from the FA Community Shield?

The English have never really taken the Community Shield seriously, but the trophy itself still has its own unique and appealing aspects.

The Community Shield, like many Super Cup matches in other countries, is an... somewhere in between. You could call it the final match of a training camp for the teams, or the opening match of a new season. And it is precisely this somewhere in between that makes the Super Cup so interesting and appealing.

Sir Alex Ferguson never considered the Community Shield a "grand achievement." It's the kind of trophy that's nice to have, but not essential. In terms of age, the Community Shield – first held in 1921 – is one of the oldest tournaments in the world. But throughout its history, it has been viewed more as a test of skill than a true cup competition.

This year's Community Shield will be between Arsenal and Man City.

It wasn't until 1974 that the FA moved the Community Shield to Wembley to attract a larger audience. This year, many prominent figures in English football have called for the Community Shield to be played overseas to... make a little extra money, similar to the Italian Super Cup. This means that even the English themselves don't consider the Community Shield a serious competition.

In 1971, Arsenal won both the English league title and the FA Cup. They refused to play the Super Cup match because it conflicted with their pre-season friendlies. The FA then came up with an ingenious solution: the runner-up from the Championship would play against the winner of the League Two. If that method were applied today, we would have a Community Shield match between... Liverpool and Leicester City. 

In the 1980s, the FA came up with another "innovation": if two teams drew, there was no need for a penalty shootout; they could simply split the trophy, each team keeping it for six months. The captains of both teams would then lift the trophy together at the end of the match, laughing and chatting amicably.

Therefore, a fierce battle is unlikely in this annual season opener. Experts would never use it to predict the Premier League race. In 1992, Eric Cantona scored a hat-trick to help Leeds beat Liverpool 4-3 in the Community Shield. The press predicted a massacre by Leeds against their rivals. The result was Leeds finishing 17th that season. Cantona didn't wait until the end of the season to jump ship to Manchester United at Christmas!

But because of the "fun-oriented" nature of the Community Shield, the game has its own unique appeal. Players are free to showcase their skills. It's also a place where players "report on the results of their training" to their home fans, who have waited three months to see their beloved players return to competition.

Regarding tonight's clash, neutral fans still have reasons to look forward to it. Firstly: How will Alexis Sanchez perform? Will he be as aggressive as Mesut Oezil was when he first arrived at Arsenal? Now that he's no longer a "second-class citizen" like he was at Barcelona, ​​he will certainly have more room to maneuver.

We can also see if Yaya Toure has gotten over the controversy surrounding Man City's "gift of a cake instead of a car" that caused a stir in the press at the end of last season. We can also see how Calum Chambers performs – will he be a promising new Tony Adams or revert to... a new Pascal Cygan? How will Man City's new signing Fernando perform, and how will the "old but new" striker Stevan Jovetic capitalize on his opportunity? Before the Premier League officially kicks off, let's start with the Community Shield!

According to Bongda+