Not a memorable day.
Here’s David Hytner’s report from Wembley
Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha - aka ‘Top’ - the Leicester owner, has already taken possession of the Shield, and looks like he doesn’t fancy giving up on it.
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Further football news from today.
Edward Wall writes in: “Some really egregious swearing at the ref from Fernandinho after the penalty was given and he was booked for complaining. Really lucky not to be booked twice in the same stoppage! What has he got over refs?!”
As does Rick Harris: “I started watching this game full of optimism but have to say it hasn’t lived up to the occasion. Usually the Community Shield sees two full strength sides vying to put down a marker for the season to come. City have their reserves out. Pretty poor show.”
And Mary Waltz: “Pep seems extra cranky, even by his standards.Could he be feeling too much pressure? With the current additions and the possibility of more he basically has to win the title.A trip to a heart specialist should be his next visit.”
Harvey Barnes speaks to ITV just before Leicester lift the Shield.
I had to watch on to see those amazing scenes [the FA Cup fina]. To be part of it was amazing. We played some good football. In the end it was a penalty that decided it. I’ll take it. A few of the starters practiced them in the middle of the week. Kel fancied it. I don’t think we approached it as a friendly. We are over the moon. It’s been a tough few month for me. Amazing to be out here with all the fans. I’m looking forward to the new season.
Manchester City looked undercooked, while Leicester looked far more attuned to a new season. Their fans are going wild, and so are the players. One team showed up today, and so did their fans. Ake may take the blame, but it has to be said there were others around him who were well off their game. Jack Grealish was peripheral in his 25 minutes or so on the field. There will be bigger and more important days to come.
Full-time: Leicester 1-0 Manchester City
90+4 min: And that’s it. Leicester have followed up the FA Cup by winning the Community Shield. Well done to them.
90+3 min: Ake tries to make amends, but nothing doing in the Leicester box and the danger is cleared.
90+2 min: Pep is not amused, to say the very least. He really doesn’t like losing, even a glorified friendly.
90+1 min: The better team are winning here, and the louder fans are enjoying their day. Ake, who had a poor first season at City, is the fall guy with that mistake.
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Goal! Leicester 1-0 Manchester City (Iheanacho, 90 pen)
And Iheanacho strokes it home, with Steffen given no chance.
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Penalty to Leicester!
88 min: Iheancho robs Ake, and the City defender fouls the escaping former City striker.
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85 min: Fine keeping from Steffen, who stops a speeding Daka in his tracks, just as he was looking highly dangerous. A glimpse of the new signing’s potential.
83 min: Mahrez continues to be City’s main outlet, but those around him are not at the races. And he looks a tad tired himself.
82 min: The sun is out at Wembley. Further east, it is tipping down. Leicester now pushing on for a winner, even after all those changes.
80 min: Again, not much doing in this game. There have been more competitive Community Shield matches, let’s put it that way. It looks like a training exercise.
78 min: More subs, Bertrand off, and on comes Luke Thomas, who played in the FA Cup final. And on comes Kelechi Iheanacho, for the happily returned Harvey Barnes, who was dangerous but left plenty of room for improvement.
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76 min: All those subs have rather taken the sting out of this game. Penalties beckon.
74 min: Two Manchester City subs. On comes wantaway Bernardo Silva for Cole Palmer, and Ben Knight, with peroxide tips, for Ferran Torres.
73 min: Dewsbury-Hall, by the way is not a stately home in West Yorkshire, rather a youngster who spent last season on loan at Luton.
71 min: It’s raining hard in North West London, and Pep’s expensive tee is getting soaked. He’s no Steve McClaren, and doesn’t reach for the brolly or kagool.
Meanwhille, several Leicester subs. On come Albrighton, Daka, Dewsbury-Hall, Soumaré.
4️⃣ changes for the Foxes 🔄
— Leicester City (@LCFC) August 7, 2021
◀️ Pérez, Vardy, Maddison, Tielemans
▶️ Albrighton, Daka, Dewsbury-Hall, Soumaré#CommunityShield pic.twitter.com/AdjSqfv0Ix
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69 min: Barnes is brought down, and the ball is played quickly to Vardy who again doesn’t look too sharp. He moans at the pass but he failed to read it.
68 min: Here’s Jack...and he’s tackled by Ndidi.
66 min: Cole Palmer is sent on his rear end by some nice skill from the canny Soyuncu, then Barnes whips in a cross that Vardy cannot get to. Vardy does not look too sharp.
Jack Grealish comes on as sub
65 min: On he comes, with Rodri, off go Edozie and Gundogan. OK then, what’s he got. It’s cheered by all the City fans.
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64 min: Edozie looks to have suffered the curse of the Wembley surface. He’s cramped up and Mendy is helping him out. Grealish is off the bench, and is coming on.
62 min: Another City corner, they are stepping it up. Gundogan’s kick is cleared. On the touchline, Pep is talking away.
60 min: The crowd are bored. The Mexican wave is happening, and James Maddison, sensing Jack Grealish may be about to come on, decides to grab some glory. He misses. Jamie Vardy might have been a better recipient of the ball.
59 min: Steffen punches away and away go City, with Mahrez, the biggest threat out there at the moment, is put off by the heavy breathing of Ndidi. Mahrez might have been quicker with that.
57 min: Mahrez almost scoops in, and then Leicester break all the way to the other end, only to have to settle for a corner.
55 min: The pace is not exactly breakneck, though Mahrez does force a corner that is taken short. It spins to Gundogan, and the chance is begging but he wallops it somewhere into the Box Park next door.
53 min: A scuffed shot by Gundogan, and Schmeichel collects. Both defences, bar that Vardy chance, have looked sharper than the rest of the units in the two teams.
51 min: A booking for Ryan Bertrand, for a foul on Mahrez. A free-kick in a very good position. But Mahrez misses, and both the Leicester fans and Pep Guardiola curse him.
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50 min: Maddison plays in Vardy, who has Ruben Dias in his way. Dias has been as rock-like as ever, looking more comfortable than at the Euros.
49 min: Barnes scampers on but his pass doesn’t find Maddison. There is wide applause as Jack Grealish takes to the sideline to warm up.
47 min: Nice run from Edozie, who then whips the ball from the sideline and leaves Schmeichel briefly floundering.
46 min: And away we go again. We begin with Riyad Mahrez on the run, to boos.
Here they come out for the second half. NO Jack Grealish so far. Pep is still muttering on the sidelines. No changes at all, in fact.
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Matthew Richman gets in touch: “Tielemans is one of my favorite players in world football these days - I’m frankly expecting more from him than that shockingly good FA Cup Final winner. It was hard to watch him score that scorcher against Manchester United last season, but it’s hard to begrudge anyone who always seems to be playing with a smile on his face.”
And here’s some half-time reading. There’s plenty of it, too.
Half-time: Leicester 0-0 Manchester City
The FA Cup winners by far the better team and might be ahead save for that fine Steffen save. The Premier League winners have been poor, in truth, though retained some danger. Most dangerous of all looks Pep Guardiola who is fuming with his team’s first half. And the referee. Could be a lively dressing room. Jack Grealish is about to find out how the other half live.
45 min: Vardy hits the post! Maddison cuts the ball across and the snap shot comes off Steffen’s hand and on to the woodwork. That’s the closest yet.
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44 min: Pep still not happy but his team are playing better, for what it’s worth. Gundogan, linking with Ferran Torres, whips his shot just wide.
42 min: It is pointed out that Guardiola’s white tee looks like the City away shirt they are donning today. And that he may have to wear a bib to ease the confusion. Then he would look like he’s working in the car park at B&Q.
40 min: Bertrand and Palmer collide as the ball is lofted up by Mendy, and it’s a foul given away by the teenager. Pep is ranting on the sidelines about something or other, and he’s been booked.
38 min: Mahrez wins a free-kick on the right, and Gundogan takes. Edozie heads back across and that’s cleared. Torres, not much of a presence so far, goes down in the box but nothing doing.
37 min: City are ponderous in possession as they try to step forward. They lack a counterpoint up front. Nothing that £160m won’t sort but that may take a while.
35 min: Maddison weaves past Gundogan as Tielemans again sweeps up, gliding along. Perez chips in from the sidelines, and that’s a waste of a good position.
33 min: Barnes and Vardy almost combine as Leicester break up play in midfield once more. The ball is only just cleared behind. The corner results in a fresh air shot from Tielemans. Pep looks vexed on the sidelines. It’s a humid day out there, and that white t-shirt may get a little grimy.
31 min: Manchester City attempt some time on the ball, but don’t get long. Leicester far snappier in the tackle, and speedier of thought.
29 min: Naughty from Cancelo, who decides he will stop his Barnes problem by sticking his shoulder into the flying winger. He’s lucky to escape a booking. That was cynical.
28 min: Ndozie finds space from a lovely Gundogan pass. The 18-year-old sees glory and finds infamy in wafting his shot into the stands.
26 min: All Leicester, passing it around with panache. Ake has to come across to stop a ball aimed at Vardy. Tielemans is ruling midfield. What a player, and one easily good enough to play for any of the top teams in the Premier League.
24 min: Leicester chance: Tielemans, slots into Perez, whose flick is too soft but was the right idea. Then another Leicester chance, as Vardy lurks. Ndidi started with robbing Palmer and the shot is blocked. Leicester well well on top.
22 min: City, as in Manchester City, look very rusty. Lots of work to do for Pep. It may take more than Grealo to sort it.
20 min: Mahrez, booed by Leicester fans for being one of their best ever players and then leaving, has a shot deflected behind. He was brilliant for Leicester, and then did something of a Harry Kane. Hence the reaction. There are jeers when he mis-controls a Gundogan pass. Harsh crowd, football fans.
18 min: First shooting chance for Barnes, who takes a dig from a fair way out, having been played in by Perez. Steffen has to knock behind. Bertrand’s corner again causes problems.
16 min: City go closest yet, when a pearler of a ball has to be cut out by Soyuncu. The stats says Leicester have enjoyed 58% of possession.
14 min: Jamie Vardy has been quiet so far. City are closing off the space for him to run into. That may make room for everyone else.
12 min: Leicester corner, and the big guns go up for it. Bertrand, a decent deadball player, whips it in and there is mild panic in the City box. (Ok, let’s call them City.) The ball is cleared.
10 min: It’s a game so far that betrays a lack of sharpness, particularly for the champions, who are a bit of a cut-and-shut team. Leicester look sharper but not exactly fluent.
8 min: Manchester City make a mess of a short corner, and then Leicester almost get Barnes away. He’s the danger man at the moment.
7 min: Free-kick to Manchester City, 30 or so yards out. Gundogan whips it with very little wind-up and Schmeichel saves well, having read it well.
5 min: Barnes dances his way into the penalty box, and the danger is cleared with some desperation. Cancelo is being overloaded on the right of Manchester City’s defence.
4 min: Real noise from the Leicester fans. The other City’s fans are not so loud. Ake - remember him - steps forward from defence, and Edozie sees his first action, only for the ball to run out.
3 min: Maddison, another linked with a move, takes a whack from Gundogan. The set piece takes a while to be taken, and is played short to Barnes. Leicester pushing on. City of Manchester, on the defensive at this point.
1 min: Off we go. By the way, Bernardo Silva is on the bench even though it is said he wants to join Barcelona. Good luck with that, Bernie. Anyway, a rousing old roar from the Leicester fans gets us underway.
Here comes the National Anthem ahead of the 99th Charity/Community Shield. From a spy at Wembley: “Must be treble the number of Leicester fans here.” And why not? Manchester City have been many times, Leicester have not.
Style watch: Brendan is in a tailored suit, Pep looks like he’s off down B&Q, though in very expensive casual wear. It costs thousands to look that scruffy yet stylish.
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Flags are waving in the Leicester end, there are balloons bouncing and there are the armed forces on the pitch (there always are at Wembley), and the subs enter the field, including Jack Grealish.
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Signs of some empty seats on Wembley, a whole bank of them in the upper tier. It is the summer holidays, and there may be a few people who don’t feel comfortable amid massed gatherings, and that’s all fine. As Dr Jonathan Van-Tam has it, there’s no need to tear the pants out of it. It’s been a hard 18 months, too. And also, perhaps some have got out of the habit of going to football.
Full capacity crowd permitted today… #CommunityShield pic.twitter.com/GD349zRISc
— Andy Sims (@AndyCSims) August 7, 2021
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Brendan Rodgers speaks to ITV at Wembley.
It’s brilliant to be here. Obviously you have to earn it. We’re playing a fantastic team in front of a full house. It was a horrendous incident with Wesley being out. He’s a brilliant, outstanding player. Daniel [Amartey] will play there, wherever he’s played he’s done his absolute best. [On Jack Grealish]He’s a marvellous player. I told him to make sure to buy his mum a bunch of flowers. He’s one of the best players in the world for me. I’m sure he will do very well for Manchester City and he was a brilliant servant for Aston Villa.
Big news for the club who look like being Manchester City’s biggest challengers.
Pep Guardiola speaks to ITV at Wembley.
I don’t know, maybe [Jack Grealish] can play but he just run for himself all week so we will see. His is a perfect age to sign a player of his qualities, and his skill. Hopefully he can help us for the next five or six years. He’s a really good player. We adapt like many managers, the players are coming back late. With academy players and first-team players we trained this two-three weeks, they prepare as much as possible. Next few days, the Brazilian players and English players, some players are isolated. We are delighted to play the first official game and we will try to do out best.
Pep Guardiola on Sam Edozie, who scored in each of City’s friendlies in pre-season.
Like all of them, as a young talent having a special quality - a guy who gets to the box with the intention to score the goal - is important for wingers. He’s an incredible young player, good pace. Be patient with him. With minutes they play good and this is important.
It’s great news to see Harvey Barnes back for Leicester. He might well have been in England’s Euro squad had he not suffered a knee injury. He’s a fun player to watch, bustling but skilful.
Some unfamiliar names to some there, particularly Cole Palmer, 19, and Samuel Edozie, 18, in the Man City team.
From the club’s official website:
Cole Palmer: Adept operating both as an attacking midfielder and a striker, Wythenhshawe-born Cole has been at City since under-8 level...The teenager made the bench on four occasions and remained with the squad at the start of the 2020/21 campaign. He made his first team debut in the Carabao Cup fourth-round tie against Burnley on 30 September 2020.
Sam Edozie: Sam signed from Millwall in July 2019 as a scholar and has impressed with his pace and trickery in his debut campaign. Progressing to the EDS squad in 2020/21, Sam is capable of playing both on the right and left wing
The subs benches:
Leicester: Ward, Thomas, Benković, Choudhury, Dewsbury-Hall, Soumaré, Albrighton, Iheanacho, Daka.
Manchester City: Carson, Grealish, Rodri, Silva, Sandler, Couto, Doyle, Gomes, Knight.
The teams are in!
The big news is that Jack Grealish is on the bench, but here are the starting XIs.
Leicester: Schmeichel, Pereira, Amartey, Soyuncu, Bertrand, Ndidi, Tielemans, Perez, Maddison, Barnes, Vardy.
Manchester City: Steffen, Cancelo, Dias, Ake, Mendy, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Palmer, Mahrez, Edozie, Torres.
Early team news on Leicester. They will be without the injured quartet of Timothy Castagne, James Justin, Papy Mendy and Jonny Evans, while Wesley Fofana’s fractured his fibula in this week’s pre-season friendly against Villarreal. There seems to be some doubt over who plays in central defence with Fofana out, with the favourite being Daniel Amartey. Cue Brendan.
The guys who haven’t been involved over the course of pre-season, the likes of Papy, Jonny, and James Justin. James Justin is coming along very well but of course is still a few months away.
Timothy Castagne trained for the first time with the squad which is great news for us. He’s physically ready and in a good place but he had his mask on today and trained with the squad, but won’t be available for the game. Hopefully, with confidence in training, he won’t be too far away.
Some early team news from Friday’s press Guardiola conference. Don’t expect to see Jack Grealish play for too long, his grand unveiling is on Monday. No Phil Foden either. How England missed him in that agonising extra-time period of the Euros final.
He’s not ready to start at all. He was one week training alone but he’ll travel with us to settle in the team and with meetings. He’ll be on the bench. After, we will see what happens but in the beginning? No way. Phil Foden will be still out for a while, he had a tough injury for the national team and couldn’t play the [Euro] Final.
We have to be careful because we have to anticipate that it could be longer. And Kevin [De Bruyne] is still out as well. I think he’ll come back a little quicker than Phil apparently, but both are still out for a while.
Will today be a statement of intent from the champions? Pep likes to refer to the Community Shield as a “title” - Spain’s Supercopa is kind of a big deal.
It’s not just Manchester City who sign players, Leicester have one of the best recruitment policies in the game, and much is expected of Patson Daka.
Preamble
Here we are again for the traditional curtain raiser, the old Charity Shield, a game it’s nice to win but not so bad to lose, as long as you don’t lose *too* badly (think Newcastle in 1996).
And there’s a different team involved than the usual big six crew. Welcome, Leicester City, though of course they played in 2016’s match, too, losing 2-1 to Manchester United. And anyway, aren’t Leicester a ‘big six’ team now, thanks to Brendan Rodgers, someone who loves a big occasion and will have big words to suit it. Leicester’s FA Cup win over Chelsea seems like a long time ago now, but it was a day that lifted football from the pandemic gloom, a brilliant match played in front of a small but fervent crowd.
So then, Manchester City, the league champions. Probably the best club team in world football, and now with added Jack Grealish, and with added Harry Kane soon, too, it is hoped, certainly by Charlie Kane. Losing the Champions League final to Chelsea hurt real bad, hence the retail therapy. Stand back for a season of Pep Guardiola intensity, his eyes wild, the football flowing, the clobber almost as expensive as the players. It all starts at Wembley, and with a full deck of fans, though it is to be hoped they behave themselves a tad better than the last mob that was in our national stadium.
With sincere apologies to the EFL and the FA Cup preliminaries being played today, club football is back. And it’s all for charidee, the community.
Kick-off 5.15pm, join me.
