Manchester City knew life after Pep Guardiola would require an adjustment. Arsenal have now provided a rather unforgiving demonstration of just how large that adjustment could be.
The reigning Premier League champions swept City aside 3-0 in the Community Shield at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, giving Mikel Arteta’s team another trophy and handing Enzo Maresca a bruising introduction to competitive life as City manager.
There was barely time for Maresca to settle into his seat.
Riccardo Calafiori scored after just 23 seconds, immediately putting City on the defensive and allowing Arsenal to dictate the mood of the afternoon. Kai Havertz later doubled the advantage before captain Martin Odegaard completed a victory that rarely looked in serious danger.
For Arsenal, it was precisely the sort of performance expected from a team attempting to prove that last season’s Premier League championship was the beginning of something rather than the culmination of it.
They looked organized, confident and comfortable with one another. Their pressing caused problems, their attacking play carried purpose and their defensive structure prevented City from building enough sustained pressure to change the direction of the match.
City, meanwhile, looked like a club entering a new chapter.
That should hardly be surprising.
Maresca has taken over from the most successful manager in Manchester City history. Guardiola spent a decade transforming the club into the dominant force of the Premier League era, winning six league championships and delivering City’s first Champions League crown.
Replacing that kind of success was never going to be a simple matter of changing the name on the manager’s office door.
Maresca does at least arrive with considerable knowledge of the club and the footballing philosophy that powered Guardiola’s success. He previously worked within City’s organization and served on Guardiola’s coaching staff before establishing his own managerial credentials elsewhere.
But familiarity does not eliminate the size of the assignment.
City are rebuilding while simultaneously being expected to compete for every major trophy. That leaves little room for a patient transition, particularly when their leading domestic rival already appears polished and prepared.
The club has responded aggressively in the transfer market. England midfielder Elliot Anderson arrived for a club-record £116 million, and Maresca has indicated that City could make further additions before the transfer window closes.
One defeat, even a comprehensive one, cannot determine what happens over an entire season. Community Shield results have fooled plenty of observers before, and Maresca will have far more important opportunities to shape his team once the Premier League campaign gets underway.
Still, season openers can reveal something.
In Cardiff, Arsenal looked like a team that knows exactly what it wants to be. Manchester City looked like a team still discovering the answer.
For Maresca, that is the challenge.
He does not merely have to build another excellent Manchester City side. He has to build one capable of catching an Arsenal team that has already reached the summit.
After 90 uncomfortable minutes in Cardiff, the size of that mountain suddenly looked a little clearer.
