2018/19 Community Shield: 3 tactics Maurizio Sarri could employ to defeat Manchester City

After a long and well-deserved break for the players, it's football season once again in England, and the historical curtain-raiser; the Community Shield will take place this Sunday.

Traditionally contested between the league and FA Cup winners of the previous season, this year's edition would see Manchester City who won the EPL last season in record-breaking fashion tackle last year's underperforming FA Cup winners, Chelsea, at the home of football, Wembley, with all proceeds from the match going to charity.

The match would witness both coaches managing in their first Community Shield fixture, with Maurizio Sarri also taking charge of his first game in England, following his summer appointment as Chelsea manager.

Owing to their dominance in recent seasons, the pedigree of their coach and their utter supremacy last season, there is no doubt that Manchester City are the heavy favourites to win their first title of the coming season.

However, Chelsea are no pushovers themselves, possessing numerous world-class players accustomed to winning and a tactically astute coach, and on their day can cause Man City real problems. Here are three ways Maurizio Sarri could defeat Manchester City in the Community Shield.

#3 Beat them at their own game

Not a very ideal proposition, given how Manchester City utterly decimated all and sundry last season by adopting a quick passing and usage of space possession style of football. It is a 'philosophy' which has brought Pep Guardiola unprecedented success, from his spells as both Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach, and now in England.

However, in Maurizio Sarri, he has an adversary who employs similar tactics, with his style of play at Napoli winning admirers from all over the world and drawing praise from Guardiola himself after their teams met in the Champions League last season, and also from the progenitor of it all; Johan Cruyff.

Though it could prove counterproductive trying to outpass Manchester City at their own game, as Sarri's Napoli side proved last season, where they dominated Manchester City over periods in both legs (and could have gotten something from them but for erratic finishing), it can be done.

In new signing Jorginho and old head Fabregas, Sarri has the perfect midfield combination to perfect this pattern, and even though most other players within the Chelsea ranks fall short of the possession-based standard, as they showed in pre-season, they are willing to adapt to their new coach's playing pattern, and if executed properly, could inflict an early damage to Manchester City's aspirations next season.

#2 Parking the bus

ICC Singapore - Chelsea FC

A highly unlikely proposition, given the predisposition of their manager, it is a tactic most EPL clubs employed last season to halt the bulldozing machine that was Manchester City, and one in which all failed woefully.

Most teams in the EPL were content last season to sit back and let Manchester City have all the possession, with their primary aim being to protect their post by defending in large droves. The most glaring example of this would be the first leg league fixture between Benitez's Newcastle and City where the Magpies unabashedly lunged the ball to the City half directly from kick-off in never-before-seen scenes in football, settling back into their defensive shape. The result: a tight 1-0 victory for City, which made it 18 consecutive victories in the EPL (mostly against teams that 'parked the bus').

Teams have however used this pattern to frustrate a Guardiola team, particularly Chelsea themselves in a memorable Champions League semi-final clash in 2012, where they defended resolutely against a vintage Barcelona team, en-route their unlikely UCL triumph.

Beyond the unsuitability of Sarri's tactics to employ this system, it also has a very low percentage for victory, as it essentially plays into City's hands, by allowing them all the space, time and possession in the build up, and as City showed last season, it is an extremely dangerous tactic to employ, and one Sarri would most definitely not be attempting.

#1 By playing on the break

Manchester City are very susceptible to quick breakaways

Undoubtedly the best option for Maurizio Sarri to employ, Manchester City's possession style of play means they employ an extremely high defensive line, with centre-backs Otamendi and John Stones effectively becoming midfielders.

The high line employed by the Citizens means they are extremely vulnerable to being caught out on the break, and two out of Manchester City's three domestic losses last season came off the back of counter-attacking teams who exploited the spaces left by City, as Wigan and Liverpool employed quick pressing and counter-attacking tactics to beat City.

Liverpool's case is particularly illustrative, as they used the speed of their terrific front three to pressure City defenders into getting caught out in high lines and forcing them into errors en route inflicting their first domestic loss in the 4-3 victory at Anfield. Klopp also employed similar tactics to devastating effect in their 3-0 mauling of City in their Champions League first leg quarter-final victory.

At Chelsea, Sarri has comparably effective frontmen, albeit on a less productive level to Liverpool's front three. In Willian, Pedro and the unavailable Hazard, Sarri has speedsters who could trouble the City defense when they are caught out of position, and with the long-range passing of Fabregas to bypass the City midfield and give the front men space to run in behind, Chelsea have the arsenal to truly outclass the City rearguard.