Manchester City supporters upset by Josko Gvardiol’s absence on the field could not contain themselves Arsenal beat City to win the Community Shield on Sunday (August 6). They vented their anger in tweets like “No Gvardiol!” and “Genuinely thought we were going to see something exciting.”
The City supporters couldn’t be blamed. Instead of seeing Gvardiol debut in their club colours, they saw Arsenal beat City 4-1 on penalties.
Manager Pep Guardiola’s decision to keep the 21-year-old Croatian defender on the benches seems questionable in view of the loss.
Gvardiol, acquired from RB Leipzig for a princely sum of £77.6 million, has established himself as a name to watch in football’s defensive division after a remarkable tenure in Germany. He joined Leipzig from Dinamo Zagreb, and his excellent 87 appearances have helped the club win two DFB-Pokal championships. Notably, Gvardiol scored in a thrilling Champions League match against Manchester City last year. He is a rising star in the football world.
At Manchester City, he is joined by another Croatian, the midfielder Mateo Kovacic, who was formerly with Chelsea.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was justifiably proud of his team’s victory over Manchester City in the Community Shield.
The two teams were tied 1-1 after a late Arsenal equaliser before the London club won 4-1 in a penalty shootout.
Manchester City have now lost the Community Shield three years in a row, having been defeated by Leicester in 2021 and Liverpool in 2022.
Manchester City, last season’s treble winners, nevertheless are a formidable force.
Their star striker, the Norwegian Erling Haaland, drew a blank at the Community Shield and was booed off the pitch by Arsenal fans. But as he said, “The marathon is just getting started.”
Read also:
Manchester City newcomer Josko Gvardiol gets warm welcome from Liverpool rival and former teammate: ‘Congrats brother (neighbours)’