THE COMMUNITY SHIELD CURSE: Arsenal will have to overcome remarkable title trend to retain Premier League crown after making Man City statement

If Arsenal are to win the Premier League then they will have to buck a Community Shield trend that goes all the way back to 2018.

For the last seven seasons winning the curtain raiser has spelt the end of a team's title hopes with the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and the Gunners all lifting the trophy before going on to miss out on top spot - some of them failing to even challenge.

In some instances winning the Community Shield and then missing out on the Premier League has by no means been a surprise. Leicester City won it in 2021 off the back of winning the FA Cup the season prior, Crystal Palace did likewise, but neither were tipped to be in title contention.

City beat Chelsea 2-0 in 2018 off the back of becoming the one and only side to register 100 Premier League points. Their win over the Blues would set them on a season that saw them become the only side in English history to win the domestic treble.

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Since then Guardiola twice claimed the Community Shield - doing so in 2019 before finishing second to a rampant Liverpool and again in 2024, where they could only finish third after a major wobble mid-season.

Arsenal themselves under Mikel Arteta won the Community Shield on penalties in 2020 but could only finish eighth - losing eight of their first 14 games to languish down in 15th come Christmas Day.

Liverpool claimed the season's curtain raiser in 2022 off the back of winning the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup, but Jurgen Klopp's bright start ended with the Reds missing out on the Champions League as they could only finish fifth.

Leicester's Community Shield season ended with them in eighth, the year before they got relegated. Palace finished in 15th with their success fuelling Oliver Glasner's desire for more backing, which ended with him announcing his departure only months later.

Without City's 2018 win, the stats would be even more damning - they remain the only Community Shield winner since 2010 to win the title that year. That's a staggeringly low strike rate of just 6.25%.

Arsenal will seek to end that jinx that has stemmed from winning the Community Shield and looked ominous when they dismantled Maresca's City in Cardiff, easing to a 3-0 win in the Welsh capital.

Riccardo Calafiori had them in front inside 30 seconds and the Gunners never looked back with the gap between them and the rest looking as if its getting bigger with each passing game.

City, Chelsea and Liverpool are all under new management, which may mean they need time to get things firing. Manchester United, for all their forward strides last season, still have a notable gulf between them and the champions.

Arsenal are almost even money with the majority of bookmakers ahead of the season starting next weekend, where the Gunners will take on newly promoted Coventry City.

2019: Man City

Premier League finish: 2nd

2020: Arsenal

Premier League finish: 8th

2021: Leicester City

2022: Liverpool

Premier League finish: 5th

2023: Arsenal

2024: Man City

Premier League finish: 3rd

2025: Crystal Palace

Premier League finish: 15th