The Community Shield is the traditional curtain-raiser of the football season. Whilst many argue that it is simply a ‘glorified friendly’, it is at least a chance to see a host of debutants that could potentially take the Premier League by storm. However, this was not the case last Sunday when FA Cup winners Chelsea met newly crowned champions Manchester City. Chelsea’s new signings were otherwise engaged (Oscar played in the Olympic Gold medal match 24 hours earlier), meaning that Eden Hazard was the only new face in either starting line-up. Despite the announcement of Jack Rodwell’s imminent arrival prior to kick off, a clearly frustrated Roberto Mancini, had no new faces to choose from.
The game itself turned on a controversial red card awarded to Branislav Ivanovic just minutes after much maligned Fernando Torres had toe-poked the opener. City had been in control up until that point with Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany all going close. The Chelsea opener came against the run of play, a wayward cross field pass from Samir Nasri ultimately allowed Ramires to dance through the City defence before putting Torres in to stab the ball left-footed past Costel Pantilimon, deputising for the injured Joe Hart.
The Chelsea fans weren’t celebrating for long after Ivanovic was dismissed just before half-time for a two-footed lunge on the onrushing Aleksandar Kolarov. City never looked back, beginning the second half with a new sense of urgency and intensity that allowed them to take control of the match in a space of just twelve minutes. Yaya Toure’s low, powerful finish after good link up play between Nasri and James Milner was followed minutes later by a magnificent solo effort by a lean-looking Tevez, driving along the edge of the area before smashing the ball past a helpless Petr Cech. The turnaround was complete when the hugely impressive Aleksandar Kolarov, who was allowed to break forward without too much concern for his usually suspect defensive frailties, crossed superbly to Nasri who made it 3-1.
Ryan Bertrand grabbed a second goal for Chelsea when Pantilimon could only parry former Blue, Daniel Sturridge’s, powerful shot back into the onrushing defender’s path. Despite the second Chelsea goal City never really seemed in any danger, Edin Dzeko wasted a golden opportunity whilst Sergio Aguero had an early entry for ‘Miss of the Season’, after side-footing a James Milner pass wide when it seemed easier to score.Kevin Friend brought an end to proceedings meaning that City had won their third trophy in as many seasons.
It is clear that Mancini will want to strengthen his squad further before the transfer window closes on the 31st of August. Missing out on Eden Hazard and Robin Van Persie, who have both signed for City’s closest rivals, will likely provoke a response from Mancini who looks to bolster the defence. Daniel Agger, currently at Liverpool, could be brought in to act as cover to Vincent Kompany and competition for Joleon Lescott. Before Mancini can bring in new faces he must sell old ones. Adebayor and Santa Cruz are huge black marks on the wage bill that must be removed before any serious spending can begin. City fans will hope that the battle between Mancini and FAO (Football Administration Officer) Brian Marwood does not escalate with rumours already circulating on social media sites that Mancini has already threatened resignation over the potential sale of Mario Balotelli. Whether or not this is true, boardroom unrest is never good for a football club, and I hope any issues are solved soon. Mancini will now look ahead to Sunday, as City begin the defence of their title at home to Southampton.
Positives: The formation?
At times last season City lacked width. Following the Christmas period other teams seemed to work out and understand our ‘game plan’, meaning we found it very difficult to break down teams away from home. Throughout pre-season, and again on Sunday, Roberto Mancini has experimented with a new 3-5-2 formation in which we play with two wing-backs but three central defenders. Kolarov and Milner caused havoc for the Chelsea full-backs. It allowed for City players to ‘gang up’ on a full back, isolating him, as we saw for our third goal. Last season we found it difficult to play through the middle at times but with the extra man on the wing Tevez was able to draw out Ramires before playing in Kolarov, leaving him free to pick out a cross without any pressure from a defender. It seems as though this new formation could be a ‘Plan B’ that City can switch to if they are struggling to break a side down.
Negatives: Kolo Toure?
After witnessing the highs of the Olympics and the true sportsmanship we saw at the games it was a real shame to see the reaction of Kolo Toure. Clearly frustrated at Savic begin picked ahead of him he was annoyed further when Savic was replaced, not by him, but by Gael Clichy. I think Kolo realised where he stood in the pecking order, especially with reports of perhaps another defender coming in. He didn’t want to have anything to do with the celebrations, attempting to walk off prior to the trophy ceremony, before throwing his medal into the crowd. I feel bad for him, he stepped in last season when others were suspended or injured and always gave his all. However, it seems we may have seen the last of Kolo Toure in a City shirt. Hopefully, Kolo’s frustration does not impact on brother Yaya, a pivotal member of the first team