Community Shield: English Football Returns

The domestic season begins this weekend with the first trophy of the English season on the line when Leicester, reigning FA cup winners, face Premier League champion Manchester City in the FA Community Shield at Wembley Stadium in London.

Focused 👊#CommunityShield pic.twitter.com/qMKueojy7i

— Leicester City (@LCFC) August 6, 2021

Leicester will not be at full strength for the match and is particularly vulnerable in defense. Tragically, young defender Wesley Fofana suffered a broken leg from a vicious tackle in a pre-season friendly with Villareal. Center back Jonny Evans is still struggling to recover from last season’s foot difficulties. Fullback Timothy Castagne suffered an injury while playing for Belgium in the Euros. Defender James Justin remains sidelined with his knee injury suffered last season. Complicating matters further, goalkeepers Kaspar Schmeichel and Danny Ward delayed their return to training following their Euro appearances for Denmark and Wales, respectively. Manchester City also is likely to field less than a first-choice lineup with many of the first line stars having participated in the Euros and Copa America. American Zac Steffen could get the nod in goal. The depth of Pep Guardiola’s squad, however, still makes the Citizens a large favorite for Saturday’s match where Manchester City fans will hope for a cameo from the newly acquired Jack Grealish. 

Premier League Season in Review: Arsenal

A second consecutive eighth place Premier League finish raised concern as to whether Manager Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal project is on track. Missing out on European competition for the coming season, after an unbroken 25 year run of participation, increases the heat even further for the former Pep Guardiola assistant. Arsenal bade farewell to Europe with a cringeworthy loss in this past season’s Europa League semi-final as the Gunners fell ignominiously to former Arsenal manager Unai Emery and a Villareal squad who went on to capture Emery’s fourth Europa League title.

Domestic cup competition saw Arsenal eliminated in the fourth round of the FA Cup as Arteta made the decision to rotate his squad, resulting in a meek exit from the competition Arsenal had won the year before. More understandable was a heavy loss to eventual champion Manchester City in the Carabao Cup quarterfinal.

Arsenal fans can only hope that five consecutive Premier League wins which finished the season promise of better things to come. Nicolas Pepe showed flashes of his unrealized potential towards season end, scoring five goals in the final three matches. Young players Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe both established themselves in Arteta’s second season.

Smith Rowe and Saka must be at centre of Arsenal rebuild
https://t.co/kPi4pubw0g

— Victor Olomu (@DeoJ2010) July 26, 2021

Defender Kieran Tierney contributes important intangibles in addition to exciting forays from his right back position but is often injured. One of the better season performances by an Arsenal player was delivered in a Newcastle shirt as Joe Willock made the most of his loan spell in the Northeast after being found wanting by Arteta.

Roster turnover was substantial in Arteta’s second season. The Mesut Ozil saga ended when the midfielder moved on to Fenerbahçe in the Turkish Super Lig. Other players exiled by sale or loan included Sokratis, Matteo Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira, Sead Kolasinac, Shkodran Mustafi, William Saliba, and Ainsley Maitland-Niles. A regrettable decision was the sale of goalkeeper Emi Martinez who became one of the best goalkeepers in the league in 2020/21 for Aston Villa. Incoming players met with mixed results. Long time Chelsea player Willian was a disappointment in his first year at Arsenal. Thomas Partey, acquired from Atletico Madrid, suffered through an injury plagued campaign, and became a factor only towards season end. Martin Odegaard proved a valuable mid-season loan acquisition but is expected to return to Real Madrid. The club’s commitment to lock down Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with a lucrative five-year contract before the season could result in buyer’s remorse. Aubameyang’s production fell from 22 league goals to 10 and the team captain was suspended for a game due to tardiness. Alexandre Lacazette led the club in goals, finding the net 13 times, but has but one year left on his current contract. Pepe’s late surge saw him reach 10 Premier League goals on the season. Arsenal’s season reached rock bottom in December when a seven-match winless streak left them 15th in the table and only four points from the relegation zone. Despite finishing below archrival Spurs for a fifth consecutive year, the late season improvement in the league provides some encouragement for Gunner fans.

Freed from the rigors of European competition, Arteta needs to move up the league table this coming season or Arsenal may be facing another leadership change.

Premier League Season in Review: Tottenham Hotspur

A promising start to the 2020/21 Premier League season gave way to a second half collapse and a seventh-place league finish for Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs led the league as late as December 13th but were to fall to as low as ninth in the table during a stretch of five losses in six matches which began with a late January loss to Liverpool. March brought misery in the Europa League when Spurs squandered a 2-0 opening tie advantage by falling 3-0 in the reverse fixture with Dinamo Zagreb in the round of sixteen. Spurs manager Jose Mourinho, hired with a mandate to win trophies, would be ironically fired just days before an April Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.

Despite knocking Leicester from a Champions League berth with a final day 4-2 victory over the Foxes, Spurs’ losses to Leeds and Aston Villa in two of their final four matches dashed their own Champions League hopes. Instead, the North Londoners were consigned to the inaugural Europa Conference League for the upcoming season. At least some form of European qualification and, more importantly, a finish above rival Arsenal can provide some consolation for Spurs fans who were teased by early season success. A four-match winning streak in October saw Spurs score 19 goals, a total inflated by a manic 6-1 defeat of Manchester United, Mourinho’s former employers, at Old Trafford.

Spurs boasted impressive attack capabilities as Harry Kane would lead the Premier League in both goals and assists. Teammate Son Heung-min would finish tied for fourth and third in Premier League goals and assists, respectively.

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Despite the output of his two stars, Mourinho would suffer heavy criticism for employing a conservative style of play which failed to mask defensive deficiencies. Serge Aurier and Davinson Sanchez were susceptible to lapses. Eric Dier has yet to prove he can successfully transition to center back from his former defensive midfield role. Sergio Reguilon, having started well after his purchase from Real Madrid, suffered an injury and was abject upon his return. Reguilon’s own goal in the late season loss to Aston Villa was a devastating moment for the team’s season. Former Wolves right back Matt Doherty also suffered through a difficult first season in London. Joe Roden, acquired form Swansea, showed early promise but disappeared from the line-up under interim manager Ryan Mason. 32-year-old Toby Alderweireld was perhaps the most consistent defender, despite having lost a step, but has left the squad to play professionally in Quatar. Defensive midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, acquired before the season from Southampton, played well in stretches and flashed even greater potential with his recent Euro performance for Denmark.

Clearly, Tottenham Hotspur approach next season with uncertainty. Nuno Espirito Santo, formerly of Wolves, is the new manager. Gareth Bale, after a lackluster one-year loan, has returned to Real Madrid. Most critical to the club’s future is the stated desire of club captain and legend Harry Kane to leave for better trophy opportunities elsewhere.