Analyzing the FA Community Shield 2022-23: Liverpool vs Manchester City

The FA Community Shield is a trophy that sits on the knife’s edge of significance. It is often another training session for both teams vying to return to the league in another week in their best possible shape.

However, the Liverpool vs Manchester City rivalry promised to soup things up. These are the two teams that have kept up unparalleled performance levels across the last five seasons in the Premier League. No encounter between the two is expected to be a mere friendly.

Of the two, it was the Reds who began better at the King Power Stadium on Saturday. For the first twenty-five minutes, City were languid and Jurgen Klopp's side held on to the ball better, displaying better buildups in midfield and verticality up the pitch. Both Andy Robertson and Luiz Diaz were often left in open space down the left wing.

Liverpool kept stretching the pitch until two quick switches to the wings and a layback from Mohamed Salah found Trent Alexander-Arnold, who curled one past Ederson from the edge of the box. Nathan Ake almost got a nod to it but it wasn't enough to keep it out.

The goal had been coming. Jordan Henderson had been busy in midfield, helping the ball on to the attack and pressing the opposition. Thiago Alcantara grew into the game and Fabinho doesn't seem to have ever left the field. Virgil van Dijk looked sharp and quick, often cleaning up at the back. Collectively, Liverpool seem to have their press organized and their passing routines oiled up in time for the upcoming season.

City, however, dominated the last 15 minutes of the first half with that envious control that has characterized their team across the last few seasons. Sometimes it feels as though manager Pep Guardiola's philosophy is so deeply engraved into the recesses of his players' minds that all it needs is a few passes to connect and they would all fall back into the groove of concerted movements, runs and triangles that make Manchester City the formidable winning machine they are.

City contained Liverpool in their own half for much of the latter part of the first half, keeping the ball and hunting the Reds' forwards when they tried to build up and push forward.

Another comparison that will be made across the season will be between the mint new Number Nines each team fielded. Between them, Liverpool's Darwin Nunez had the last laugh, scoring the Reds' third goal, but Erling Haaland showed glimpses of what he could be.

There should be no doubts about his ability and his effectiveness in the Premier League. Facing arguably the best defender in the league and one of the best defenses, he often found great positions and exhibited remarkable physical strength against Liverpool, thwarted perhaps by the opponent's organization and control at the back and some of his own wasteful finishing.

Haaland's presence has definitely altered City's attacking dynamics. He brings a threat only a No. 9 could bring to the opposition box. While false number nines are often controlled by the strength and reach of bigger centre-backs, Haaland is very much the big, strong, dangerous elephant in the room as far as the opposition is concerned. Liverpool seemed quite wary of his presence with Jack Grealish and Joao Cancelo almost succeeding in finding him on several occasions.

There is also Julian Alvarez, whose arrival has perhaps received none of the attention compared to Nunez and Haaland, but deserves to be spoken of in the same breath as the two. While not as formidably framed, he is quick, has good instincts and is a good finisher.

Adrian failed to hold on to the ball after saving Phil Foden’s initial attempt from Kevin De Bruyne's pass. Alvarez, lurking behind, anticipated the rebound and squeezed it past Adrian for the first goal of his City career.

The momentum, however, swung in Liverpool’s favor once again with Kevin De Bruyne substituted. Guardiola has used him to drive the ball forward, often as a second striker or even a false nine on several occasions last year. However, he remains one of the world's best creative midfielders. Ikay Gundogan, who replaced him, is definitely better at late runs into the box for which he found very few opportunities this time around.

Liverpool’s second came after Darwin Nunez had his header blocked by the lifted arm of Ruben Dias and Salah stepped up to take the penalty. The Egyptian superstar found the bottom corner despite Ederson guessing right. Salah remains unchanged. More of the same touch, creativity and trickery.

Liverpool's Darwin Nunez makes an impressive debut

Salah's consistency, especially as Liverpool’s chief creator, often goes under the radar and this year, perhaps more than any other, it will come to the fore as Darwin Nunez is slowly but surely announcing his arrival at Anfield.

Salah lofted one over to Robertson at the far post to head the ball down for Nunez, whose positioning across pre-season matches has often been impeccable. He made a deft header that sneaked past an oncoming Ederson. The Reds' third and Darwin’s debut goal for Liverpool.

Throughout the game, Darwin’s effect on the Liverpool team was much more obvious than that of Haaland's or Alvarez's on City's. Haaland will definitely have to get used to the way Manchester City play and Alvarez is perhaps already fitting in well but the it seems to be the other way for Darwin Nunez.

He is someone Klopp's side will have to get used to leading the line. Substituted for Roberto Firmino in the second half, his impact was obvious. He is faster, stronger and a greater threat in the air than any other of the Reds' forwards, with the opposition always in danger of being played in by a simple ball over the defense.

Nunez, once substituted in, linked-up with his teammates and exhibited a striker's intelligence with his runs and the spaces he occupied. His goal assured Liverpool their first Community Shield in 16 years.

The Community Shield is perhaps not the most prestigious of trophies either team would hope to win this year but for Liverpool it was the only one missing from the collection Jurgen Klopp has amassed at Anfield. It would also have felt better to win it at the expense of Manchester City, as one would see the other as their strongest rival in their quest for the Premier League title this season.