Knowing quite how to term the summer progress of Manchester United is not the easiest after a day against opponents whose best are more uncooked and, frankly, not fit.
The season has officially started and Manchester City still have four players on their holidays. They started with four players owning squad numbers higher than 50. Perhaps that’s why Pep Guardiola’s grin was a touch wider than you might have imagined for what was a penalty shootout win in a friendly. A friendly packed with pomp but nevertheless, still a friendly.
It was way back in 2019 when City last won the Community Shield, losing their last three and there is irony to the omens not seeming great. They lose here then win the Premier League, normally. That’s how it works.
Jadon Sancho missed from the spot, not quite the definitive he would have hoped given the ongoing uncertainty as to his aptitude for working under Erik ten Hag, and Manuel Akanji knocked in the winner. City actually ran about celebrating. Maybe it does mean a little bit.
They wrestled a way back into the game late on, substitute Bernardo Silva equalising with two minutes left after Alejandro Garnacho’s stunning opener. And with four academy graduates, three starters who’d had two training sessions.
Manuel Akanji netted the winning penalty as Manchester City triumphed in the Community Shield
United took an early advantage in the shootout after Andre Onana denied Bernardo Silva from the spot
But misses from both Jadon Sancho and Jonny Evans put City back in the driving seat
These clubs are, broadly, at different points of their conditioning so while United were good in spells – largely functional, but good – any encouragement for Ten Hag must be tempered by the state of their opposition.
There were moments of quality when progressing through midfield – Marcus Rashford squandering two huge chances which a forward with confidence would gobble – and strong transitioning back at the scene of the manager’s great escape 11 weeks ago.
Semblance of patterns even broke out among United’s protagonists, Amad Diallo particularly impressive alongside Bruno Fernandes, whose skewering second-half shot was disallowed for offside, in that regard. A style; better late than never but a style nonetheless.
And, with deals moving for Bayern Munich pair Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, more of a shape to their back line ahead of the campaign kicking off properly.
With signings Ten Hag wants, this has to be the time he sorts a consistency and a consistency of excellence. He witnessed occasions of quality, and occasions of disorganisation.
The executive contingent – Omar Berrada, booed by City fans when appearing on screen, alongside Sir Dave Brailsford and Jason Wilcox – will have seen things they liked from Ten Hag and new coach Ruud van Nistelrooy.
But it was a day that ended with a guard of honour for their cross-city rivals who cantered at half-speed with the kids.
James McAtee came closest to opening the scoring in the first-half as his strike hit the post
Pep Guardiola opted for a youthful side at Wembley with four academy graduates in the starting XI
United looked to have seized the initiative and enjoyed a strong spell after the interval
Marcus Rashford hit the post and Bruno Fernandes has a goal ruled out for offside
One of them, Oscar Bobb, might actually be ready to explode. With an eye-catcher of a pre-season tour to America, Bobb just looks like he’s going to do something that bit different.
He did in the 88th minute when, back to goal, he twisted makeshift left back Lisandro Martinez the wrong way and stood up a cross for Silva. The Portuguese bulleted his header past Andre Onana just as it had seemed United would coast.
They had seen Garnacho come off the bench with vitality, galloping clear down the right, Josko Gvardiol in his wake. Garnacho lifted his head, saw Rashford and laid on. Help yourself, a left-footed half-volley. Post, wide. Rashford forlorn. He’d already fluffed another earlier.
Ten Hag pegged the 26-year-old down as ‘engaged, ambitious and motivated’ to right last season’s wrongs but in front of goal, this felt more of the same. Garnacho had seen enough and a blanket refusal to involve anybody else with eight minutes remaining meant United thought they’d won it.
A super run across City’s back line, bypassing defenders and benefiting from Ruben Dias backing off to flash into the far corner. The Ten Hag game plan, at the time, seemed bang on.
City had generally appeared the more pressing, debutant Nico O’Reilly’s boundless energy giving them something extra in midfield and Bobb’s trickery menacing, yet – safe for James McAtee striking the post and Bobb firing over – hadn’t created a great deal.
Erling Haaland occupied defenders without fashioning opportunities for himself; it bore resemblance to that cup final 78 days ago: City loosely dominant, not capitalising, and United finding some rhythm.
That said, it meandered and the mind wandered. When was the last time the horribly mucky translucent Wembley roof was given a proper clean? They should probably book somebody in for that.
What was Guardiola slapping fourth official Sam Barrott on the arm for? Does only just returning from holiday act as mitigation for Akanji and Dias battering balls straight out of play?
Alejandro Garnacho looked to have secured victory for United with his late strike
The Argentinian winger opened the scoring after cutting inside in the closing stages
City refused to lay down against their rivals and Bernardo Silva came off the bench to equalise
Outside and waving corporate tickets, an American family – Boston Red Sox fans, by the look of it – scurried around the perimeter of Wembley desperate to locate their entrance. They weren’t missing much and Guardiola, without Jack Grealish with a slight injury, didn’t appear best pleased with a steady stream of some rather cheap concession of possession – particularly from his goalkeeper.
Then at the end his goalkeeper – Ederson, the man who had wanted to leave for Saudi Arabia – thwarted Sancho, allowing the Swiss Akanji to taste something close to redemption after his nightmare from 12 yards against England. Conclusions, though, are hard to draw.
