In his first season in the premier league, Erling Haaland will be under a lot of pressure. There is a time and a place for it. Two world-class goalkeepers in Ederson and Alisson and arguably the two leading coaches in the game are also included. The Community Shield is more than a curtain-raiser for the new season, it is a showcase of excellence with so much A-list talent. It's still the game that gets the most global interest, but right now it's not a good match. In deciding the outcome of title races and battles for silverware, the rivalry between United andLiverpool became irrelevant after the two teams played each other twice last season. The same applies to the two teams playing each other. The two clubs dominated the league for almost a decade in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with one or the other winning the title in nine straight seasons between 1995 and 1996 and 2003 and 2004. If it still exists, the rivalry has been reduced to deciding who gets to play in the league. - Stream Community Shield preview show (U.S. only)
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The Community Shield meeting this weekend feels more like a test for the main event over the next nine months than a stress-free warm-up for the campaign ahead.
It is almost impossible to make a case for anyone other than City orLiverpool to win the title in the 2022-23 season. The Community Shield will show us how far in front of the pack they are.
Spurs have invested well this summer, giving manager Antonio Conte the reinforcements he wanted to transform the team into title challengers. Following the departure of Roman Abramovich, new owners have taken over and look to be on the verge of crisis with the coach complaining about the lack of new signings and preseason performances.
The worst season in the club's history resulted in a new coach. They have brought in a number of new players, but haven't been able to convince Frenkie de Jong to leave Barcelona, as well as being distracted by the desire to leave Manchester United.
Although Mikel Arteta has strengthened the team, they are not close to winning the title for the first time in a decade.
The two teams were already miles ahead of each other, and they have both strengthened during the summer, so their dominance is only likely to continue over the months ahead. The Community Shield will show us how far away they are.
Both clubs have made changes to their rosters this summer, but the stability and consistency is the same.
For less than a hundred million dollars, Kalvin and Haaland will fill the gap left by the departed Fernandinho. The 22-year-old Haaland is already justifying his billing as a generational talent with FC Salzburg.
With Haaland's goal threat, City may have to alter the way they play and become more direct to make sure he gets the service he needs, but with such a dangerous focal point in their team, any change will only make them better. Haaland could be the difference in close games, especially in the playoffs.
Ensuring a seamless transition from Mane to Nunez is the biggest challenge for the club. A loss for the team will be the departure of Sadio Mane, who scored 120 goals and 38 assists in 269 appearances for the club.
It was a huge boost for the club to know that they could keep a player who could outscore Haaland and win another Golden Boot.
Darwin Nunez came in for some criticism in the last week, but that didn't stop the defender from jumping to his defense.
Both teams are difficult to find weaknesses in. City once again displayed incredible quality and resolve to fend off a challenge to win the title again, as they did last season when they narrowly missed out on a fourth successive crown.
The key to success this season will be who does the best job in the game against each other. It will be a big result if there is a winner when they meet in October or April. Winning the Community Shield is important this weekend.
Both sides will welcome every possible edge that can be gained. The psychological boost of winning on Saturday can't be overstated because of the reduced rivalry between the two teams.
The teams will not be watching the chasing pack. They are looking at each other and waiting for the first sign of weakness. The Community Shield is important. Every game now matters when it comes to Manchester City and this one is no different.
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