Silverware, defensive masterclass, new kids on the block - take aways from the Community Shield

Déjà vu! Another Community Shield, another 1-1 result, another win on penalties but what a way it was to start the season. Whilst the circumstances of the win were quite lucky, it was not undeserved.

Let’s take a look at the major talking points from the game.

Who will replace Jesus?

It was the question that was on every Gooner’s mind, but I think it’s safe to say that the answer caught more than a few of us off-guard.

When Arteta brought Kai Havertz to the Emirates, he said that he saw the German as an option across an “interchangeable front three”. Even then, it came as a surprise that Leandro Trossard’s brilliant pre-season form didn’t earn him a spot in the Starting XI in the absence of Jesus.

His performances as a striker at Chelsea didn’t fill me with any hope, but Havertz did quite well. He understood his defensive duties very well, leading the line against a Manchester City team that planned on passing the Arsenal team to sleep. He also got into all the right positions and did all the right things – the only thing lacking was his finishing.

Whether or not Havertz keeps the position come Forest (H) is unknown, however Arteta said he was “very pleased” with the German’s “superb” performance.

Structural masterclass

It was clear that Arteta came prepared, debuting two new systems to break down City’s possession-dominant play style.

From a defensive perspective, Arsenal pressed in a 4-4-2. Odegaard stepped up to the front line with Havertz. As one of them would press Ortega, Rice would pick up the spare man, whilst Partey would mark the other free midfielder. This meant that City’s only options were their fullbacks or a long ball, making so much of their first half possession absolutely toothless.

Offensively, Declan Rice was the focal point of Arteta’s new system. We know that Arsenal build up in a 3-2-5 as Ben White inverts and Zinchenko steps into the midfield, yet it looked slightly different in this match. Many times throughout the match, LCM Declan Rice would drop into a wide CB role, allowing both full backs to push up the line. This created 2v1s and 3v1s in the wide areas of the pitch, where Arsenal’s deadliest attacks came from.

New kids on the block

This was our first real chance to have a look at our new signings in a competitive environment and they did not disappoint.

We talked about Havertz before, so let’s take a look at the other two.

Jurrien Timber was a particular standout. The Dutchman had a 92% pass success rate, 3 ground duels won, 2 clearances, 1 blocked shot, 2 interceptions and 1 tackle. Most encouraging of all, it looked like he had played LB in this Arsenal team for four years.

Declan Rice didn’t play his best game, but he gave us a good indicator of what we can expect of him. Rice showed his brilliant work ethic throughout the game, dropping deep and into wide areas to help the team play out before pressing high up the pitch to win the ball back. He was a workhorse up and down the left-hand side and looks like a great replacement for Granit Xhaka.

Positive momentum

The performance was good, the equalizer was lucky, but the win was deserved. A trophy is never a bad thing and it creates great momentum going into the season.