Arsenal claimed their 18th win in the Community Shield on Sunday as they eased to a 3-0 win against FA Cup winners Man City. The Gunners were favourites to defend their Premier League title before this game and on the evidence of the 90 minutes in Cardiff, they will take some stopping.
Many view the Community Shield as little more than a glorified friendly. While the winners get their hands on silverware, it is certainly true that the traditional curtain raiser is not a competition that fans, players or managers get excited about. In fact, it might even be a game that is better to lose!
Winners Have Poor Record
The Community Shield is OURS 🏆 pic.twitter.com/DH7uzHkMvK
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 16, 2026
As we will discuss, the Gunners were the better side and their performance – and that of City – suggests that odds of 5/4 for them to retain their Premier League crown might just be decent value. However, this is Mikel Arteta’s third Community Shield success as a manager and his team failed to win the title after the previous two.
The Gunners triumphed in 2020 and 2023, before finishing eighth in the 2020/21 campaign and second in 2023/24. But it is not just Arteta who is jinxed. Since the PL began, all the way back in 1992, the winners of the annual English “super cup” have then gone on to win the title just eight times.
The last time any club did the lowest of low-key doubles of the Community Shield and Premier League title was in 2018. Man City beat Chelsea 2-0 at Wembley and then won the 2018/19 title by a point from Liverpool. Since then the average finishing position of the winners has been just sixth. Only twice have the winners even finished as high as second, finishing eighth twice and 15th once!
Title Two a Huge Challenge
Despite this trend, we have little doubt that Arteta will be the happier of the two managers. This statistical quirk – the limited league success of Community Shield champions – has little underlying logic to panic Arsenal fans, though a more concerning stat might be that the Gunners have not defended the top-flight title since they won their third in succession in 1934/35.
The poor record of Community Shield winners can be filed under “lies, damned lies and statistics”. However, there are sound and sensible reasons why defending the title is so difficult. First, every other team tries that bit harder against the champions. Second, it is always trickier to stay at the top than get there in the first place. Arteta will not allow his side to be complacent, but replicating the same burning desire and hunger they had after three seasons finishing second will be almost impossible.
That said, they do appear to be the best side in the Premier League, perhaps by some distance. The extra challenge and pressure of being champions is against them but so much else is in their favour. They are the only serious title contender that has continuity in the dugout. Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs, Man United and several other Premier League teams will all start the 2026/27 campaign with a different man in the dugout compared to 12 months earlier.
The Gunners also possess the best squad, boasting an enviable strength in depth that none of the others can match. They have an excellent blend of youth and experience too, and might yet just add that one really big signing that gives the whole group a real boost. They failed to get a deal for Vinicius Jr over the line but they definitely have the funds to pursue almost anyone they choose.
Gunners Mean Business
Returning to the Community Shield, while winners have a poor record and it is, ultimately, a meaningless trophy, Arteta will be the happier of the two managers. His side won 3-0 and looked incisive and clinical. City may have had more of the ball, more shots and more touches in their opponents’ area, but the Gunners were decent value for the 3-0 victory.
Maresca and City clearly have much to do and with Rodri set to leave the club, they have to somehow get significantly better while losing arguably the most complete player in the world. In the 3-0 defeat many of the problems they had under Pep Guardiola were all too evident. They had lots of the ball but were too slow and too ponderous, rarely threatening to open up a typically organised Arsenal defence.
Maresca will not be too concerned by the loss but there is a slight psychological edge Arsenal will have gained by winning so convincingly. In the final analysis it may not be City who are the Gunners’ principle rivals this term – time will tell. But either way, Arteta’s men have sent clear message to all the sides looking to challenge them this year: they are ready.