Maresca's first taste of silverware ends in a sobering defeat

Enzo Maresca's reign as Manchester City manager began not with a bang, but with the sort of afternoon that leaves a manager staring at the dressing room ceiling. Arsenal ran out 3-0 winners in Sunday's Community Shield, and the scoreline flattered nobody in blue.

Riccardo Calafiori needed less than 30 seconds to open the scoring. By midway through the first half, Kai Havertz had doubled the lead, and Martin Odegaard added a third after the break. City were outclassed on the day, plain and simple.

Yet context matters. This was the first match of the season, and the first time the first-team stars had been reunited in nearly three months. Pre-season rust was always going to show against a side as sharp as Arsenal.

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If there was a bright spot, it came at the back. Abdukodir Khusanov was City's best defender, racking up nine defensive contributions and winning all nine of his duels. Ruben Dias was dominant in the air, snuffing out Arsenal's set-piece threats and distributing with elan. Josko Gvardiol's better moments came going forward, including a header that drifted narrowly wide.

In midfield, Mateo Kovacic showed composure and threaded a few vertical passes, but couldn't influence the game as Arsenal cruised. Elliot Anderson's debut after his big-money move couldn't have gone much worse, though he did deliver six crosses before being hooked at the hour mark.

Further forward, Antoine Semenyo took the game to Arsenal with his direct running, attempting three shots and providing six crosses. Phil Foden was the liveliest of City's attackers early on, driving forward with poise and purpose. Jeremy Doku had a good chance after City fell 2-0 behind but couldn't convert, and looked subdued for much of the afternoon.

Haaland's forgettable return

Erling Haaland played his first game since the World Cup, but it was a return to forget. The Norwegian was well below his best, with his only effort saved by David Raya.

Gianluigi Donnarumma had a day to forget too. The goalkeeper's reactions were poor for all three goals — a disappointing display from a player capable of so much more.

Nico O'Reilly got forward well but was found wanting defensively, with Arsenal repeatedly overloading his side of the pitch to build attacks.

It was a whimper rather than a wham for Maresca. But with the season proper still to come, there's time to turn the noise up.