And that’s a wrap on today’s matchday live. It’s had a fair amount: reaction to yesterday’s EFL stuff, Sheffield Wednesday chat, transfer comings and goings, and predictable stuff from the Scottish Premiership. A real mix.
Time for our collective attention to turn to the Community Shield, with just half an hour remaining until kickoff on Wembley Way. Will it be Palace or Liverpool who triumphs under the arch? Rob Smyth is your man for that one.
Thanks for reading and, of course, for all your comments below the line and emails. It’s always appreciated. Bye bye.
FT: Aberdeen 0-2 Celtic
Goals from Benjamin Nygren – his first for Celtic – and Reo Hatate, either side of half-time, have secured a straightforward victory for the perennial Scottish Premiership champions at Pittodrie.
The Dons were never really in the game, a distant second best to Brendan Rodgers’ side. After just two games of the season, have they got one hand on the trophy already?
In the dying embers now and Celtic are about to go two points clear (already) atop the Scottish Premiership. Hearts and Hibs will need to win their games (at 3pm) to stick with them. A four-point advantage on Rangers within the first two games is ominous stuff indeed for the blue half of Glasgow.
It’s 2-0 to Celtic at Pittodrie, by the way, and what a splendid goal it was from Reo Hatate to double the visitors’ lead. With 15 minutes or so remaining now, I don’t think Brendan Rodgers’ side will be caught this afternoon.
Liverpool v C Palace Community Shield team news
Liverpool: Alisson; Frimpong, Van Dijk, Konate, Kerkez; Jones, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Salah, Ekitike, Gakpo.
Subs: Mamardashvili, Endo, Mac Allister, Chiesa, Elliott, Roberson, Nyoni, Doak, Ngumoha.
Crystal Palace: Henderson; Richards, Lacroix, Guehi; Munoz, Kamada, Wharton, Mitchell, Sarr, Eze, Mateta.
Subs: Benitez, Lerma, Clyne, Hughes, Esse, Edouard, Sosa, Devenny, Cardines.
Speaking of the Charity Community Shield, the official team news has just dropped …
An email comes in from Jeremy Boyce:
Hi Dom. Thinking about Samuel Dobson’s email earlier, I see the Community (formerly Charity) Shield in a more Kant-ian way.
‘We are not rich by what we possess but by what we can do without.’
Palace have obviously always done without it and not minded, Liverpool have done without it quite often and not minded. Let’s be realistic. It buys you diddly-squat. Whereas the once-ridiculed League/Carabao Cup at least gains you entry to something else.
Much as I’m sure Palace would dearly love to get their hands on it today, I think the last time the Community Shield really mattered was when it was the Charity Shield and Billy Bremner and Kevin Keegan evidently had their own views on how to dispense it.
Updated
Aberdeen still have a foothold in the game at Pittodrie. Celtic have been largely dominant and deservedly lead, but at 1-0 the Dons will believe they can snatch something in front of their own fans.
Russell Martin and Rangers will be egging them on, after their own inauspicious start to the campaign.
Chelsea target possible Simons and Nkunku swap deal
Chelsea are in talks with RB Leipzig over a potential swap deal for Xavi Simons that could lead to Christopher Nkunku returning to the German club.
It is understood Leipzig would like to re-sign the France striker, who moved to Stamford Bridge on a six-year deal in 2023 for £52m but has failed to settle in west London, as a replacement for Benjamin Sesko after his £73.7m move to Manchester United. Chelsea have been in negotiations with the Bundesliga club over a fee for Xavi Simon.
More from our man Ed Aarons here.
Cheers Daniel. Some more transfer news from Sunderland to get my stint back up and running… former West Ham left-back Arthur Masuaku has become the Black Cats’ 10th signing of the summer.
The DR Congo international is now 31 and cheered to the club’s website that he’s “really happy to be back in the Premier League… I want to bring a winning mentality and joy to the fans.”
Righto, my watch is over – but do join me for for Leicester City v Sheffield Wednesday from 3.30pm BST, kick-off at 4.30pm. In the meantime, though, Dominic Booth is here to hang for the next hour, after which you’ll also be able to enjoy Rob Smyth’s coverage of Crystal Palace v Liverpool in the Community Shield.
Also going on, by the way:
It’s half-time at Pittodrie, and it’s still Aberdeen 0-1 Celtic.
This is a remarkable fee. Three years of erratic chaos, three years older, and his fee has only decreased £18m from what Liverpool gave Benfica in 2022.
A bit of telly news:
I didn’t see Bale’s performance in Bibao as I was in the ground. I guess I might’ve preferred a player more recently retired, as it’s interesting to hear specifics about playing against certain players, managers and teams – Rio Ferdinand, whom he’s replacing, was initially excellent in that aspect but ran out of steam as he ran out of players he knew personally – but if he’s good, fair enough.
The view from Wembley
Our reporter John Brewin checks in before the Community Shield:
Olympic Way was already packed out before 1pm. Crystal Palace fans are in big numbers; Wembley doesn’t come around too often for them after all. Liverpool fans see the national stadium as “Anfield South” and they are travelling in their usually huge numbers. Florian Wirtz’s No. 7 shirt seems to have been a summer best-seller. It’s gentle out there, the summer heat beating down. Plenty of content creation around, with the selfie-stick very much back in vogue, it appears. This fixture, the one that doesn’t matter if you lose but is fun to win, will, as with all Liverpool’s pre-season schedule, form part of the continuing memorial to Diogo Jota. Post-match will probably see a fair few questions for Arne Slot about Alexander Isak while Oliver Glasner is likely to have to talk about Palace’s ongoing Uefa dispute. Jota, though, will be in most people’s thoughts.
Updated
They’re actually talking about Isak on SSN at the moment. Henry Winter just said “all sympathies with Eddie How,” not words I ever expected to hear from anyone. Howe knows who he works for though he evades questioning on it; he knows why he got Isak in the first place and the wider issues around state ownership of football clubs; and just as Newcastle use their financial muscle to relieve poorer clubs of their best players, so that is now happening to him. Cry me an ocean.
In the summer of 2001, Manchester United, having won the league three times in a row and twice by miles, bought Juan Sebastian Veron and Ruud van Nistelrooy. A fourth consecutive title looked inevitable, but the changes in style the new players necessitated, along with the sale of Jaap Stam, cost them; football isn’t an exact science nor can it be perfected, so if you add something in once place, you lose something in another.
That said, Liverpool have clearly bought well and look rammed with goals – any side hoping for a point off them will probably have to score at least twice. And yet there are doubts: Mohamed Salah’s form tailed off at the end of last season and some point age will reduce his impact; Virgil van Dijk, though still good, isn’t what he was and lacks a reliable partner; while in midfield they have good but not great players.
Which is to say they look fearsome but fallible, likely champions but with existing weaknesses that haven’t been addressed – nor will they be if Alexander Isak arrives.
We’ve not got to our Liverpool preview yet, so here’s Jonathan Wilson’s verdict.
GOAL! Aberdeen 0-1 Celtic (Nygren 27)
You know what? I really fancy Celtic to do something this season.
Apologies for the long break there, I nipped off for a comfort break and returned to discover I’d not launched my previous post.
That completes the previews so far, but stay tuned for the rest, which’ll be with you “in the coming days”. But in the meantime, here’s what the fans think:
Marco Silva’s men are one of the league’s major success stories, establishing themselves as a staple with the minimum of fuss. Every year, you wonder if they can do it again but there’s no reason whatsoever to assume to the contrary – though if I was going to out a fear, it’s whether they’ll score enough goals at the right time.
Next up: Fulham.
Everton’s main task – club and fans – is to turn their new ground into something simultaneously fearsome and homely. Goodison Park was exactly that – nowhere sounded more insulted by decisions not given – and it’s no exaggeration to say that the crowd helped keep Everton up the season before last. As for the players, Thierno Barry is a really exciting acquisition and Adam Aznou is a proper talent; I think David Moyes’ side might surprise a few people.
How are Evertonians shaping up?
Bournemouth agree a deal to sign Bafodé Diakité from Lille
It’s absolutely wild that we can almost assume he’s really good. His arrival will, presumably, ease Zabarnyi’s move to PSG.
The euphoria of that day in May will never leave, even if the European competition aggravation is an unwelcome distraction. It’s also unclear if the wonderful Eberechi Eze will stay, but in the meantime, Borna Sosa and Walter Benitez are unlikely to make major impact. On the other hand, Oliver Glasner has a system that works and good players who believe in him, fired by the confidence of winning a trophy. They may, though, find it difficult to compete abroad and at home, so I’d not be surprised to see a drop-off in league for, even if they remain a major threat in the cups.
So what of the FA Cup winners?
At some point, you’d think the summer’s endeavours will exact a toll but, on the other hand, Chelsea have a squad that might – might – be able to cope. I don’t think they’re good enough to win the league or even that close, but they’re good enough to win any game at any time and if they start well, you never know. I’m not, though, sold on the keeper or defence; the balance in midfield needs resolving; and well though Pedro and Liam Delap have started, I’m not sure either will be prolific enough to alleviate the goalscoring burden that rests on Cole Palmer. I also think Enzo Maresca’s safety-first style is good for one-off games but less so for winning games every week.
So what of the inaugural Club World Champions?
Let’s be honest: it’s almost impossible to fathom three clubs getting fewer points. That said, Lesley Ugochukwu is a really good signing – I thought he might’ve attracted interested from established Premier League clubs – Armando Broja can score and Marcus Edwards could be a lot of fun. Otherwise, Scott E. Parker will have to work some kind of miracle; one that’s unlikely to be catalysed by a v-neck jumper and hair like Bart Simpson going to church.
As for Burnley…
Word to the wise: as well as the Community Shield, we’ll have live MBM coverage of Leicester v Sheffield Wednesday. I’ll be bringing you that from 3.30pm, kick-of 4.30pm.
Unlike Bournemouth and Brentford, it barely seems to matter who Brighton let go. This summer, João Pedro, Simon Adingra and Pervis Estupinan have departed; Carlos Baleba might yet join them. But you just know they’ll be alright and, if the predators chasing their players had any sense, they’d investigate the targeted replacements as well as or instead of. I’m really excited to see Charalampos Kostoulas and Tom Watson, and expect them to finish highest of the non-mega-rich clubs.
And Brighton…
If we’re concerned for Bournemouth, we’re fear for Brentford. They’ve lost Thomas Frank, their inspirational manager and cunning coach, while Bryan Mbuemo, last season’s top scorer, Christian Norgaard and Mark Flekken have also gone, and Yoane Wissa wants to. Caoimhín Kellher looks a decent goalkeeping replacement, while Antoni Milambo and Michael Kayode have potential, but are either ready to impact the league immediately? They might have to, while Keith Andrews is an intelligent thinker and talker about the game – but that’s very different to carrying a club. If I supported a promoted team, this is one place I’d be looking when trying to find other relegation candidates. You can bet Sunderland, for example, will be targeting three points when the teams meet at Stadium of Light third game in.
Updated
On to Brentford:
It’s hard not to be concerned for Bournemouth – Milos Kerkez and Dean Huijsen have gone and Illia Zabarnyi might yet follow them. On the one hand, Andoni Iraola’s high-energy, high-intensity system – with room for improvisation – depends on having the right players but, on the other, he’s a really good manager and Adrien Truffert looks a really good left-back replacement. They won’t fear relegation at any point, but they probably won’t be as good as last season – which was vey good – either.
Next up, it’s Bournemouth:
We interrupt this broadcast to bring you team news from Pittodrie, where Aberdeen will soon take on Celtic.
Aberdeen: Mitov, Jensen, Milne, Dorrington, Devlin, Shinnie, Nilsen, Milanovic, Aouchiche, Keskinen, Yengi. Subs: Suman, Polvara, Clarkson, Boyd, Palaversa, Solker, Morris, Molloy, Kjartansson.
Celtic: Schmeichel, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Tierney, McGregor, Hatate, Nygren, Forrest, Idah, Maeda. Subs: Sinisalo, Trusty, Yang, McCowan, Shin, Kenny, Engels, Bernardo, Ralston.
Two changes for Aberdeen following their 2-0 Monday-night defeat at Hearts: Alfie Dorrington and Nicky Devlin start, while Leighton Clarkson is on the bench and Mats Knoester is out of the squad.
Celtic make one change: James Forrest replaces the benched Hyun-jun Yang.
However, as per our preview, they do have Zépiqueno Redmond, apparently named after Lil Zé, the gang-leader in City of God – himself named after Zé Pequeno, an actual gangster. Goodness me.
Villa will be delighted that Morgan Rogers is still theirs – I’d been told he was off to Chelsea – but it’s fair to say supporters might’ve wanted significant strengthening too. That said, their midfield is not to be messed with, at all – in addition to Rogers, they have Boubacar Kamara, Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans. They may, though, be haunted by the final-day choke at Old Trafford which cost them a Champions League place, and I wonder if they’ve enough goals to improve.
Next, it’s Aston Villa, whose new kit looks one of the smarter ones.
So are Arsenal ready to take the next step? Er, not for me Clive. A goalscorer should make a significant difference, but it was not the only difference between them and Liverpool last season and I’m far from certain Victor Gyokeres is good enough to prove decisive. Meantime, the champions have fortified in impressive style and have a manager we now know can do it; conversely, it’s beginning to look like Mikel Arteta cannot.
We begin, of course, with Arsenal – though some might suggest AFC Bournemouth should precede them.
I can see we’re already well into Premier League patter, so that feels like a good time to refer you to each of our previews published so far. I’ll link to them one by one and add some observations; please do send in your own.
Thanks Dom – is that an imperative for me to enjoy this or for youse to enjoy me? On we go!
That’s my spell done and I’ll hand the reins to Daniel Harris as the afternoon matches draw nearer. Enjoy, Daniel!
Liverpool fan Annie adds her thoughts on email, saying: “It’s our whole team I’m excited about seeing in a competitive match not just the new players!”
There sure is some hype building around the Reds this season. They thrived last season as the surprise package under a new manager. Can Arne Slot handle the expectations this time around?
An email has landed from Samuel Dobson:
The Community Shield is a prime example of Schrödinger’s paradox of quantum superstition. If Liverpool win, it is not a trophy; but just a fun summer friendly; on the other hand, if Palace win, they will have won a trophy for the second time in their history and in quick succession. Thus, it exists simultaneously as both a trophy and not a trophy (until the final whistle blows and the referee lifts the lid on the cat box).
Virgil van Dijk certainly thinks Liverpool’s raft of signings means they have to be competing at the sharp end of everything this season.
Come on then Liverpool fans; who are you most excited to see in action today? It perhaps won’t be a popular answer, but I think Milos Kerkez is an inspired signing at left-back. He was the Premier League’s best full-back last season and should fit this Slot side down to the ground.
Gareth Bale joins TNT Sports as pundit
A big transfer in the world of broadcasting. The former Spurs and Real Madrid winger is the replacement for Rio Ferdinand. He will work on TNT Sports’ coverage of the Premier League and Champions League for the 2025-26 campaign.
This is a fair point. Crystal Palace are used to being outsiders at Wembley, but that didn’t stop them last season. Can they shut down Arne Slot’s machine in the north London sun this afternoon, in the same manner they stopped Manchester City?
And the only place to keep up to date with every single men’s transfer this summer? Well that would be on our interactive tracker.
There are whispers Manchester United are trying to add Brighton’s Carlos Baleba to their tranche of summer transfers. The prospect of the 21-year-old adding ballast to Ruben Amorim’s midfield is an exciting one for fans and seems more than just a pipe dream.
United’s three summer additions were all on show as they met Fiorentina in a pre-season friendly at Old Trafford yesterday, with Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo offering glimpses of their talent on the pitch while Benjamin Sesko was paraded to supporters before kickoff, along with Paraguayan left-back signing Diego León.
Will Unwin watched it unfold and offered his analysis.
I very much enjoyed this. A guide to all 20 Premier League teams ahead of next week’s big kick off, in the words of their fans.
If you like our regular journalist-written previews, 10 of the 20 have landed on our dedicated page for them, which is here.
Liverpool fans are in optimistic mood ahead of their season curtain-raiser today.
Are we really going full José Mourinho and counting it as a trophy?
Eddie Howe might be in the dark about Alexander Isak but it seems Newcastle are finally making some incoming moves in the summer market.
Malick Thiaw from AC Milan seems like a deal they’ll get done; he’s a promising young defender and the fee looks to be around £30m.
They’re also reportedly considering Samu Aghehowa from FC Porto, another prodigious talent.
After missing out on Sesko, Mbeumo and pretty much everyone else they’ve gone for this summer, is there some light at the end of the Toon tunnel?
Right, I believe the comments section is now open. Enjoy – but be nice! Let’s have a chat about the Community Shield, Sheffield Wednesday or any other footballing topics you fancy.
Chris Powell departed Sheffield Wednesday this summer after being an assistant to former head coach Danny Röhl. And the man often dubbed the nicest guy in football has now let his true feelings be known about the club and its owner Dejphon Chansiri.
When this kind of stuff is going on at a club, what hope do they have of competing on the pitch? Today’s game at Leicester will likely feature protests from the away fans… who knows what the football will be like from the Owls.
“I’ve said it to many people, that it’s the most functional dysfunctional football club I’ve ever been at,” Powell told The Sports Agents podcast. “Particularly the last few months from maybe from about March, when that was the first time players and staff hadn’t been paid, that you just felt a little bit uneasy with what the future might entail. But we carried on.
“We bought in a consultant for head of recruitment, a really, really good guy who helped out Danny and the coaching staff really well. But there’s no board of directors. So the club is run by the owner, Chansiri, and there’s a consultant who’s sort of his link and a club secretary. That’s it.
“There’s no one to ring. There’s no one to speak to. Now, it all falls on the shoulders of maybe the club secretary, and that’s very difficult for her. I mean, basically, people will get an email saying: ‘We know times are hard. It’s very difficult. We’re trying to resolve the situation.’ But that’s it.”
Here’s the full set of today’s (main) fixtures. Hardly jam-packed and full of thrill-rides galore yet but it’s only 10 August:
Liverpool v Crystal Palace, 3pm
Leicester v Sheffield Weds, 4.30pm
Aberdeen v Celtic, 12.30pm
Dundee United v Hearts, 3pm
Hibernian v Kilmarnock, 3pm
All times BST.
Here you go. Enjoy over a Sunday morning coffee.
Liverpool v Crystal Palace, then. A Community Shield which represents a battle between the summer haves versus the have-nots?
Because while runaway Premier League winners Liverpool have been chasing Alexander Isak, as well as snapping up Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and Hugo Ekitike this summer, the Eagles haven’t been doing very much at all. That’s unless you count the signings of backup keeper Walter Benítez and left-back Borna Sosa as something.
The job Oliver Glasner did to inspire Palace to FA Cup glory last season shouldn’t be underestimated. But after a tough summer disrupted by the uncertainty over which European competition they’ll play in this season, it seems unlikely that they’ll replicate that triumph this term. Just holding on to Eberechi Eze looks to be a struggle and Palace are huge underdogs today, that’s for sure.
I’ll run you through the Guardian’s Community Shield preview reading offerings in my next post.
Away from yesterday’s action, Eddie Howe has admitted Alexander Isak’s future at Newcastle is out of his hands amid ongoing interest from Liverpool.
Arne Slot’s side will take to the field at Wembley today with the shadow of the Isak saga still lurking, despite the fact a raft of new summer signings will be on show against Crystal Palace.
On Isak, Howe said: “That’s a decision that I won’t make, that will be for other people to make.”
Newcastle have rejected a Liverpool £110m offer for Isak, who has three years remaining on his contract, but his situation remains shrouded in uncertainty as the Magpies’ Premier League opener at Aston Villa approaches.
Let’s start with that Rangers reaction …
Russell Martin has told frustrated Grs fans there is “no quick fix” after his side dropped another two points with a 1-1 home draw against Dundee – which was secured via a James Tavernier penalty in added time.
Martin said: “Every club I have been at, it’s a bit of pain and when you get through that pain, it’s so worth it. I don’t think I expected anything less coming here, it’s not going to be a quick fix. This club has not had success for a long, long time. I’ve been asked about the supporters’ reaction and I just don’t have a problem because I understand it.”
Read more via the link below.
Preamble
I guess we’re now officially back? The Championship season is under way, we’ve already had a couple of weeks of the EFL and today’s Community Shield between Liverpool and Crystal Palace will confirm that we are, indeed, so back.
Bristol City’s drubbing of Sheffield United and Southampton’s late surge to stun Wrexham were the highlights of the second tier stuff yesterday, with attention now turning the other (far more) beleaguered Steel City club. Sheffield Wednesday travel to recently-relegated Leicester later, just glad they have a fixture to play and a team to play it.
There’s also Scottish Premiership action today and we’ll have some reaction to Rangers’ second successive league draw under new boss Russell Martin. Celtic go to Aberdeen in the Sunday lunchtime kickoff.
As always on these Matchday Live blogs, we encourage you to get in touch with your thoughts, previews and predictions plus we’ll have some insight from our team of intrepid reporters bringing you the latest from Football Land, now that we’ve landed once more.
