Supporters of all clubs debate how seriously the Charity/Community Shield should be taken.
That debate will only increase this week as we get closer to Sunday.
Let’s be honest, most fans count the event as a major trophy if their team is lifting it, yet lose and you get over it within a couple of days.
But will our result against Man City have any bearing on this season’s title race?
I thought I’d look back to see whether Arsenal’s previous success – or failure – in this fixture had any impact on what followed in the Premier League.
You might be surprised…
Arsenal’s early Charity Shield meetings
1993 – Arsenal 1-1 Man United (lost on pens)
Ian Wright missed a spot kick that would have won the game for Arsenal.
The Gunners were at Wembley due to winning the FA Cup as part of their Cup Double the season before.
They would continue being a good Cup team, lifting the Cup Winners’ Cup, but it had been a few years since George Graham had built a squad capable of challenging for the title – finishing 4th.
1998 – Arsenal 3-0 Man United
Mr Wenger followed up winning the Double in his first full season in England by lifting the Charity Shield at his first attempt.
The next campaign, though, would be one of the most competitive between Arsenal and Man United. The Red Devils would famously win the Treble, but it easily could have been a Double Double for the Gunners – finished runners-up.
1999 – Arsenal 2-1 Man United
For the second year running, Arsenal beat United at Wembley, but yet again it made little impact on the title race.
Not only did the Gunners finish 2nd, but there would be an 18-point gap between us and the champions.
2002 – Arsenal 1-0 Liverpool
Known for Gilberto Silva scoring on his Arsenal debut.
The Gunners started and finished their season in Cardiff, retaining their FA Cup but not the title – finished runners-up.
2003 – Arsenal 0-0 Man United (lost on penalties)
For the next couple of years, Man United and spot kicks would play a massive part in our history.
Little did Gooners know when Pires had his penalty saved that Arsenal wouldn’t lose a single Premier League game that season.
The closest the Invincibles came to that not happening was when United had a stoppage-time penalty smash the crossbar at Old Trafford.
2004 – Arsenal 3-1 Man United
This fixture began and ended the domestic season with the Gunners also beating United in the FA Cup Final.
Yet little did Mr Wenger or Sir Alex Ferguson know it would be the first time in a decade that neither manager would be champion – Arsenal finished runners-up.
2005 – Chelsea 2-1 Arsenal
Not for the first time, and in what would become a recurring theme, Drogba bullied our defence, particularly Senderos.
Arsenal went on to finish 4th in their final season at Highbury.
Wenger’s later years and Arteta’s Wembley wins
2014 – Arsenal 3-0 Man City
Having ended their nine-year trophy drought on their previous visit to Wembley, the Gunners ended their decade-long wait for the Charity/Community Shield.
Gooners were excited by the manner in which we beat the champions, but it had zero bearing on the title race, as we finished 3rd.
2015 – Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea
Based on their rivalry, you sensed this Community Shield meant a little bit more than usual to both managers – the only time Arsene Wenger beat Jose Mourinho as Chelsea boss.
The Portuguese would be sacked in December, while that season proved a missed opportunity for the Gunners, finishing runners-up to Leicester.
2017 – Arsenal 1-1 Chelsea (won on pens)
Having beaten Chelsea in the FA Cup Final, we again got one over the champions.
This would turn out to be the final thing Mr Wenger would win.
Little did we know it at the time, but this would be the Frenchman’s final season as manager.
He left North London with the Gunners in 6th.
2020 – Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool (won on pens)
Due to COVID, football was trying to catch up with itself. The schedule meant the Community Shield was only 28 days after we had lifted the FA Cup.
This period for Mikel Arteta, less than a year into his managerial career, gave Gooners hope, but it proved a false dawn as, for the second year running, we finished in our worst League position in a quarter of a century – 8th.
2023 – Arsenal 1-1 Man City (won on pens)
A very late Trossard equaliser and shoot-out victory was celebrated more than Community Shields usually are.
With only Mikel Arteta’s second win over Pep Guardiola after eight successive defeats, this was seen as another sign he was closing the gap on his mentor.
Not that this stopped Arsenal from finishing runners-up again to Man City, taking the title race to the final day of the season.
So does the Community Shield actually matter?
Arsenal have never lifted the Charity/Community Shield and the Premier League in the same season.
History therefore suggests Sunday’s result will tell us very little about where the Premier League trophy will end up next May.
So, if you’re heading to Wales this weekend, enjoy the day out and hopefully enjoy watching Arsenal lift another piece of silverware – but don’t read too much into what happens in Cardiff.
Win or lose, the real business starts afterwards.
Dan Smith
What do you think, Gooners? Does winning the Community Shield give a team an important early psychological advantage, or is it simply a glorified pre-season friendly?
Let us know in the comments.
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It won’t matter at all since it’s just a glorified pre-season game
Our summer transfer activity will matter though
@Gai I wonder why Arsenal aren’t considering Rashford for LW or AC Milan Rafael Leao after ViciousJ disappointment. Timber also becoming injury prone we need new RFB.
I think they might mate once other targets are ruled out
Leao wasn’t consistent last season in Serie A and I think he just recovered from a lengthy injury. If he was very good last season, he would’ve always played ahead of Joao Felix on Portugal’s left wing in World Cup
We definitely need a new RB since Timber and White are injury prone. I think Arsenal are just waiting until they manage to sell White
An ideal practice game to size up what needs rethinking. Hope Arteta doesn’t have a lose safe plan. I don’t expect any of our players to really shine just yet but hopefully we’ll be better prepared for Coventry.
Not really. Useful work out though against the best opponent in the league. Given our injuries and players on leave though, I think we’ll struggle to be honest.
Excellent synopsis on Arsenal’s history with the curtain raiser, feel good factor CS trophy. Thank you!
If we win it – it matters and can be called a “trophy”, if we lose it doesn’t matter (just a pre season friendly to enjoy with family and friends)
The Community Shield doesn’t matter in the title race as there isn’t three points for a win, otherwise it might. There is the psychological effect though so I think it’s a very important game to win and of course it’s now classed as a trophy.
I didn’t know Wright cost us a trophy. This trophy also gave the bragging right over the obstinate Mourinho. Every time Arsenal face City in the CS Arsenal emerge out a winner and this Sunday it’ll be done for the third time. Arsenal winning the CS and the EPL simultaneously will be done this season; history rewritten.
Winning always gives a feel good factor and raises hopes. Let’s win it!!!
Wednesday v Como might not BUT Sunday’s v City is an important tie. Two Pep’s understudies in Maresca and Arteta test each other. Plus we may see the first episode of Haaland v Magalhaes.
Last season Arteta described his 2 CS triumphs by beating direct rivals Liverpool and City as important achievements in his CV.
Cardiff i think always offers Arsenal some to cherish. The curtain raiser trophy/shield raises our hopes and football historians are also interested to write another history. Hopefully we’ll see a strong line up. Flock to Cardiff Gooners!
There’s nothing quite like competing and being in a stadium atmosphere for a trophy, however low down it is in the pecking order. Typical that tickers were available through red membership and I can’t go. Seeing a live game is very obviously different from watching it on the box; watching how individuals are performing, particularly new players and the youngsters. In this instance, it’s all change at City
Everyone has mentioned improving match fitness but also how Arteta deals with the leaky defence and second guessing his plans for players this season
….tickets for red membership means for high profile, most sought after games?
Nope
It’s the lowest form of membership and the silver or platinum membership gets more chances. Very difficult to progress so ticket availability during the season is a lottery. I’m guessing the Community Shield uptake hasn’t been that popular
SueP, City have sent back about 7000 tickets. Arsenal are having those tickets, that’s why Red Members are buying them.
Cheers HD
No problem SueP 👍
Good luck. Stadium capacity 75K. Hope you at least get one if you decide to go alone
It’s a competitive fixture, am really waiting to see how Arteta sets the team up! Now that pep is not In the opposite dugout. What kind of football precedent he sets us up for the upcoming season. If we win it, feels good factor into the season, if we loose, well, learn the lesson and move on.
Sam Barrot refs in Cardiff. We had good experiences with him
For me it’s a nice day out for the fans, and it heralds the start of a new season the following week.
But it’s also the first real competitive game they’ll play, and there fitness should be better for this game.
It’s good for the manager to tweak things here and there, assess players. And yes although it’s nice to win and would give the team a nice early winning feeling, it really has no bearing on the coming season, as Dan’s very well put Article shows.
If Infantino were the FA president, the CS would take a different shape. He would expand it include the traditional Big 6 teams to elevate it to a tournament level. Invite bids from across the Atlantic and some Arab nations for hosting and naming rights. Of course negotiate a deal with a private entity that may have a 21% stake from the proceedings.
Then doubters will stop saying CS a glorified friendly?
The Charity Shield is usually the more competitive of pre-season games and a final indicator of which players are available and how the team will function in the coming weeks. Other than that, it has little or no bearing on the Premier League, but is always a worthwhile game.
Get the damn charity stuff in our trophy cabinet again.
I don’t want to compromise anything when it comes to winning football matches talk less of a trophy (tray )
It does not mean anything. Win or loose.
I hope MA puts out the fringe players in the hope of a sale of some of them like Jesus, Vieira, Kepa & Nelson. Put Nwanieri in as it may involve a possible loan deal to Dortmund (this would be valuable to his education and further development as a replacement for Odegaard in 2 year’s time).
Most importantly, do not pick up further injuries on what is a glorified friendly curtain raiser.
Yes. To an extent
It’s practice for start of the PL
Also, it’s always nice to beat City
MY PREFERRED LINEUP FOR THE CS MATCH BASED ON FITNESS LEVEL AND AVAILABILITY –
Gyokeres.
Tzolis. Odegaard. Martinelli.
Skelly. Bruno.
Calafiori. Gabriel. Mosquera. White.
Raya.
Subs – Havertz, Downman, Jesus, Nwaneri, Ibrahim, Hincapie, Kepa.
It is an official trophy so it should be taken seriously and I would like us to win it.
Are City fans demeaning belittling the CS as some Gooners tend to do?
Amba,
With all due respect, I couldn’t care less what City think of the Community Shield. It’s down to the individual person on the importance they put on this game.
From my side, not very much importance if I’m honest.👍
DEREK,
Wadr i can’t discern the difference between Carabao Cup final and this CS. You reached this apex by merit knocking out rivals. At the end a trophy awaits you in both. As you earlier rightly pointed out let’s go for it. COYG
Amba,
I to say go for it. But for me this isn’t up there with the League Cup, FA Cup, Premier League, or the Champions League.
If we lost in any of them it would hurt more than losing any Community Shield would, that’s all I’m saying. 👍
Sorry DEREK I mixed it up. It was Chris S above who said ‘Go for it, win it, celebrate it, more silverware in the cabinet’.
Amba,
Nothing to apologize for my friend. 👍
Go for it
Win it
Celebrate it
It’s more Silverware in the Trophy Cabinet
It’s More Silverware added to our History.
If we don’t win it – Move on and focus on the Premier League Season.