Arsenal started the season with the Community Shield title after defeating Man City 3-0. However, history is not on the "Gunners'" side. Since 2018, most teams that have won this title have not been able to win the Premier League afterwards.
In the last 7 seasons, the Community Shield has continuously shown not very positive signs for the champion team. Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool have all raised the trophy but then lost the opportunity to compete for the throne in the Premier League.
In 2019, Man City defeated Liverpool to win the Community Shield but only finished second in the Premier League. A year later, Arsenal surpassed Liverpool on penalties, but the campaign then ended in eighth place.
Leicester City won the Community Shield in 2021 after winning the FA Cup, but also only finished eighth in the Premier League. Liverpool continued to be a victim in 2022. After defeating Man City in the cup match, coach Jurgen Klopp's team had a disappointing season and only ranked fifth, thereby failing to qualify for the Champions League.
Arsenal also did not avoid this trend. After winning the Community Shield in 2023, the "Gunners" finished the Premier League in second place. Man City repeated this achievement in 2024 and only finished third in the championship race. Crystal Palace was the closest team to lift the trophy in 2025 and then finished the season in 15th place.
If not counting Man City's championship in 2018, the statistics are even more worrying. The blue half of Manchester is the only team to win the Community Shield since 2010 and then win the Premier League in the same season.
Therefore, Arsenal has the task of breaking this trend. The 3-0 victory over Man City at Cardiff created an impressive start, especially when coach Mikel Arteta's team completely overwhelmed the opponent.
Riccardo Calafiori put Arsenal ahead in just about 30 seconds, before Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard scored in turn. This performance strengthens the belief that the "Gunners" are entering a new season with great ambition.
However, the Community Shield is only the opening match and cannot reflect the entire season. Arsenal will begin their journey to defend the throne with a reception of Coventry City in the first round of the 2026-2027 Premier League.
Notably, Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool all enter the new season with changes on the coaching bench or squad. In that context, the championship race promises to be volatile.
Arsenal will have to prove that this year's Community Shield title is not a premonition for a season out of breath, but a stepping stone for a bigger goal: to defend the Premier League title.
We talked about the desire when starting the season and wanted to prove to ourselves how much we want this. I am really impressed with the way the whole team plays football, especially the way we compete. That must be Arsenal's standard" - Arteta shared.
