Rio Ferdinand and every other scoffing critic will have their fun. Arsenal know beating Man City in the Community Shield means something, but only so much.
Try telling Julian Alvarez this is a glorified friєɴԀly as the Manchester City forward keeps the ball in the corner to run down the clock in the 88th minute.
Try telling Rodri this doesn’t matter as the world’s most grossly misunderstood footballer desperately seeks a booking which will never come.
Try telling Aaron Ramsdale this is inconsequential as he celebrates a penalty shootout save with as much relish as those who mugged himwhen the trophy was secured.
Try telling me this is a good way to start an article on the Community Shield final when Sam Matterface ruins it by literally saying “try telling them it’s just a pre-season friєɴԀly” as Arsenal celebrated.
As ever, this #CurtainRaiser takes on as much meaning as the winners and losers imbue it with. If Pep Guardiola historically considers it important due to European tradition, it can be safely regarded as such. He knows how it can be harnessed and used to build to something greater.
So, too, does Mikel Arteta. Arsenal’s victory over Liverpool on spot-kicks at Wembley in 2020 was a forgotten harbinger of the sort of immense potential the Gunners are threatening to fulfil three years later.
It is essentially pointless debating whether this opportunity to win a trophy with actual heritage is of any significance when one of the managers involved has literally adopted a club dog and called it Win, and the other finally rocked up to the national stadium in something other than casualwear.
Neither team could possibly have landed a knockout punch but Arsenal have nevertheless laid a glancing blow on Manchester City for the season ahead.
Perhaps Guardiola’s side can easily compartmentalise this defeat; they certainly did these last two years when losing to Leicester andLiverpool but going on to win the Premier League title. This might not affect them directly.
But it will give Arsenal momentum, a confidence boost, belief and knowledge that they can conquer their last remaining demon. This is obviously a more impactful and noteworthy result than Manchester City losing 2-1 to Atletico Madrid last week in South Korea, if only for the psychological stimulus their main rivals can draw from it.
“For us, it’s a ȿτɑτємєɴτ,” said Ramsdale. “It’s a marker to know we can go and beat Man City in a big game when it matters.”
The social media critics will scoff and the former serial-winning pundits will mock but that, really, is all that matters. This was for Arsenal, not them.
And Arsenal will have seen Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice slot seamlessly into their starting XI. Arsenal will have seen Kai Havertz execute the role of non-scoring eternal centre-forward nuisance perfectly. Arsenal will have seenhow to neuter Erling Haaland, how to weather a Manchester City storm, how to capitalise on an excellent second-half performance to break thɾօυɢҺ with a deserved equaliser.
Arsenal will also know not to read too much into this, that Manchester City have not had an iԀєɑł pre-season and will improve, and that Guardiola’s side are the only ones to win both the Community Shield and Premier League title in the same season in over a decade when they managed it in 2018/19.
As Ramsdale said in the heat of a victory and performancehe will hardly deem futile considering the uncertainty surrounding his position: “I’m not sure what it’ll be like this season. But that mental block is gone. We’re ready to push on now.” Try telling anyone that isn’t the most sensible way to look at this game.
