Man City lifts the Community Shield.

Shield Holders

Manchester City the Premier league champions overcame Chelsea, the FA cup winners, in a fiercely contested match that ended in a 3-2 score line. The traditional game which heralds the beginning of every new season was not short of its high expectations. The pacey game kicked off with a bright start as Chelsea went in front with a Torres strike in the 40^th minute. But the joy was cut short barely two minutes later when a red card was deservedly shown to the overzealous Ivanovic who launched a reckless challenge on Kolarov.

Ten men Chelsea struggled to keep a clean sheet as the pressure from Man city intensified. This resulted to a stunning equaliser by Yaya at the 53^rdminute. Prodigal Tevez delivered another wonder goal to make the scores 2-1, before Nasri deflected a goal-bound ball to give Man City a 3-1 advantage- completing a riotous 12 minutes of three goals. But the tenacious blues still showed some late drama, when Bertrand sped past defenders to tap in a rebound bringing the final score to 3-2 in favour of the blue side of Manchester.

This was the first time they are lifting this trophy since 1972. Remember last year, when they won the FA Cup, United who were league winners, defeated them in the Community shield.

Popping it once again

Speaking of performance, this game gives us a glimpse of what to expect next season. City showed that they are still favourites. Having made little or insignificant adjustments to the team, you will naturally expect them to continue the gelling process and produce results. Another plus for them is the U-turn made by Tevez who was originally thought to be on his way out of the club. In his last statement after the victory, he expressed his desire to stay at City and win more trophies… (am I really typing ‘Manchester City’ and ‘Trophies’ in same sentence????? How times change!!!)

Nando Fires

For Chelsea, they may be experiencing the effects of rebuilding a new team. With the exit of their icon, Drogba, passing the main striking burden to Torres, and the injection of new players like Oscar, Marin, and Harzard, we can expect some jerky run this season. They will need time to blend, and expensive buys like Hazard and Oscar may need to settle into the pressure of the league. Torres, from my point of view, looked sharp but he has to continue his improvement as more will be expected from him, especially if Chelsea fails to get another striker this summer.

The Shield Cup is won….next weekend is when the real games begins….can’t wait for the actions to start rolling.