Raheem Sterling's opener was cancelled out by Joel Matip before Manchester City triumphed on penalties
Monday 5 August 2019 19:38, UK
Manchester City beat Liverpool on penalties in the Community Shield following a 1-1 draw in normal time at Wembley. Did the encounter offer clues about what's to come this season? Here's what we learned…
It has been a difficult pre-season for Liverpool - Jurgen Klopp admitted as much in his post-match press conference at Wembley - but while they missed out on Community Shield success on penalties, their performance proved their poor pre-season results are no cause for alarm.
Klopp's summer plans have been heavily impacted by two factors. First, that their season did not finish until June 1, several weeks after most other clubs. And second, that a string of his most important players then travelled to international tournaments in South America and Africa.
It left him with a threadbare squad for most of the summer, but at Wembley he was finally able to field something close to his strongest team. Sadio Mane was still missing following his Africa Cup of Nations exertions, but the rest of the big names were back and Liverpool were better for it.
The first half was not plain sailing, of course. Liverpool's backline, imperious last season, was sleeping when Oleksandr Zinchenko and David Silva worked Kyle Walker's diagonal pass across goal in the build-up to City's opener. Alisson was beaten with uncharacteristic ease by Raheem Sterling.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez struggled at times, while even Virgil van Dijk had awkward moments - the statistics showed he was dribbled past for the first time in 65 games. Klopp, though, insisted Liverpool's positional rustiness was to be expected. This group had only trained together for five days, he said. And besides, they improved as the game wore on.
In fact, at the other end, Liverpool created far more chances, attempting 17 shots to City's eight, with 10 of them coming from the electrifying Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian looked as sharp as ever at Wembley despite his late return to pre-season training, but could not find the goal his performance deserved. He hit the post twice, forced a string of saves from Claudio Bravo and had another effort sensationally cleared off the line by Kyle Walker.
Salah led the way for Liverpool, whose energetic second-half performance put paid to any fears that they are not physically ready for the new campaign. Afterwards, Klopp described himself as "completely happy" with what he saw. "Having the amount of chances we had today is a very good sign for us," he said.
"I don't like the result, but I like the game a lot. Today was very important for us. The second half was really, really good."
City broke their transfer record to sign Rodri this summer and the early evidence suggests it is money well spent. The 23-year-old has settled in quickly since his £62.5m switch from Atletico Madrid. He has earned positive reviews throughout pre-season and seemed comfortable right from the start against Liverpool.
Guardiola described it as "maybe the toughest test" he could have faced in his first competitive game for the club, but he passed it with flying colours. There were signs of fatigue in the closing stages, but he was generally an assured presence at the base of City's midfield, showing impressive poise under pressure and using his sizeable frame to good effect.
Rodri has already spoken about learning "three or four new concepts" from Guardiola since his arrival at City a few weeks ago, but most important is that he is a natural fit for the Catalan's way of playing. Rodri was heavily involved in City's build-up play and kept them moving forwards, too.
At times, it was the kind of frantic, end-to-end game a Premier League newcomer might find challenging, but Rodri completed 92 per cent of his passes and won possession more times than anyone else. "He did an incredible, incredible game, offensively, defensively, fighting with the guys," said Guardiola afterwards.
Rodri's role does not lend itself to highlights reels. Like Fernandinho, he is there to knit it all together rather than provide the final flourishes. But there were standout moments. Most notably, shortly before half-time, he intercepted a Salah pass on the halfway line, held off two Liverpool players, then played a smart reverse pass to the unmarked Bernardo Silva.
City supporters showed their appreciation in the stands. They will hope for more of the same from their record signing when the Premier League season gets underway next weekend.
The Community Shield is typically a subdued affair, an inconsequential fixture which counts for little when the real stuff gets started. But there was no friendly feel to this year's edition. The two sets of fans booed their respective anthems before kick-off, setting up a febrile atmosphere which mirrored a fiercely-contested game on the pitch.
There were strong challenges on both sides and even a yellow card for Guardiola, who protested furiously after Joe Gomez appeared to go in late on David Silva in the first half. The Community Shield may carry little status as a trophy, but the rivalry between these two sides is such that both were desperate to win it.
City should be stronger this season, of course. As well as breaking their transfer record for Rodri, they have bolstered their defensive ranks by re-signing Angelino from PSV Eindhoven. Liverpool, meanwhile, are yet to make a single senior signing, with teenagers Sepp van den Berg and Harvey Elliott the only additions so far.
City did emerge victorious in the shootout in the end, of course, holding their nerve to convert all five of their penalties, but there was little between the two sides over the course of the game. Liverpool have not strengthened their squad, but they looked more motivated than ever.
Guardiola insisted there will be six sides vying for the Premier League title this season in his post-match press conference, citing Manchester United following their deal for Harry Maguire and also mentioning Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham, but this fiercely-contested encounter was a reminder that City and Liverpool are the teams to beat.
