FA Cup winners Chelsea take on Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday in the Community Shield. Chelsea should not let the opportunity for an early marker pass them by.
Despite its status as a glorified preseason friendly, the FA Community Shield is the official curtain raiser of English football season. When two high-profile sides like Chelsea and Manchester City face each other, the stakes are higher than usual. It is a perfect time for the managers to test how much both teams have evolved since the beginning of the preseason.
Chelsea’s recent history in the Community Shield is not something their fans will be proud of. The last time Chelsea found success in the event was nine years ago, when they defeated Manchester United on penalties. The Blues tasted defeat in their four Community Shield attempts since then, losing once to each of the Manchester clubs and twice to Arsenal. All the managers who were in charge of Chelsea while losing this match lost their job before the start of the next campaign.
Even though it is technically part of preseason, it set the tone for their subsequent campaigns. Chelsea had a really disappointing campaign in 2010/11 season after losing to Manchester United in the Community Shield, and the season ended with Carlo Ancelotti losing his job.
In 2012/13, Chelsea had a potential seven trophies to win. The campaign started with a defeat to Manchester City in the Community Shield, and Roberto di Matteo was fired not long after. They ended up winning just one cup, the Europa League, which they were not even competing at the outset.
The less said about the 2015/16 season, which started with a loss to Arsenal, the better. Mourinho was fired within months of that defeat. And the most recent season, which started with yet another loss to Arsenal in the Community Shield, was also one to forget for the fans. The FA Cup success was not enough to salvage the season nor Antonio Conte’s job.
A win on Sunday will put Chelsea in a good position as they enter a new season under a new manager. A victory will allow fans to be optimistic about the team, despite the lack of transfer activities and concerns over a few players’ contracts.
The Community Shield is a perfect place for Maurizio Sarri to win his first trophy as a manager as both teams are still coming into the shape after the World Cup. Sarri will be ready to show what he is capable of in his first match on English soil as the head coach of Chelsea.
Back-to-back success at Wembley is always a good sign, and would be a welcome break from Chelsea’s history of early August losses to open the domestic season.