As a United fan I admit to having been resigned to defeat once the lineups were released. The make shift back line of Lisandro Martinez, Johnny Evans, Maguire and Dalot brought back traumatizing memories from last season's defensive problems.
The mere thought of Haaland slicing through our back four while being trailed by a snail-paced Maguire had me dreading turning on my TV.
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The first 25 minutes seemed to confirm my worst fears. Lisandro Martinez was struggling in the right-back position against an impressive Oscar Bobb. He was totally out of his depth. Evans, strangely, looked nervous on the ball. Maguire, on the other hand, looked sharp and at ease.
At some point after the 25 minutes, something changed. I will confess I don't know what influenced the changed. The team seemed to suddenly click and the passing of the ball through out the team became more deliberate and menacing. It was at this point that Manchester United generate one of the best chances of the game. A quick one-two on the right hand side saw Casemiro deliver a beautifully weighted pass into Amad Diallo, who then squared it across the box for an easy tap-in. Unfortunately, Mason Mount was not expecting the pass and the ball rolled agonizingly past him.
Into the second half, Manchester United came out firing on all cylinders. Even after a host of changes were made by Ten Hag around the 58th minute, the team kicked on like a well oiled machine.
I was particularly impressed by the performance of Toby Collyer, one of the academy kids who had staked a claim to be in the first team over the pre-season games. The kid was tenacious in a tackle, incredibly cool and competent in possession and showed an eye for a pass. He looked quite at home deputizing for Kobbie Mainoo in midfield.
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Around the 82nd minute, Manchester United finally took one of their several chances through Garnacho, who punched a left-footed shot into the bottom corner of City's net. At that point, it seemed Man United had won the Shield. Manchester City were barely offering any threat the entire second half.
Unfortunately, Bernardo Silva would turn up at the back post rising above United's short make shift right-back, Pellistri, heading the ball into the net to equalize. Because of that goal, the game went to penalties.
Bernardo Silva was first in line for City to take a penalty which was saved comfortably by Onana. At this point, the game was in United's hands and it looked like they were going to score all their penalties. That was until Sancho stepped up.
When I saw him walking down the pitch to take the penalty, I can't lie, I knew for a fact he would miss. I could just feel it. Of course he missed. Ederson pushed his telegraphed shot into the post and out.
At that point, I felt, Sancho's time as a United player came to an end. It is so difficult to justify what he offers to the team. He never looks sure of himself. Interestingly, that is the same stadium, the same goal, and even the same type of shot he made that was saved in the World Cup. At this point, Sancho can only serve as a swap player to complete the Urgate deal. That is all he is worth now!
Finally, once City regained their footing in the penalty shoot-outs, it all came down to the toss of a coin. Unfortunately, that coin landed in favor of City. Johnny Evans' penalty turned out to be the decisive one as he kicked the ball over the crossbar. Akanji then dispatched the final penalty skillfully, thus helping Manchester City win the Community Shield.
Conclusion
While I am disappointed that Manchester United lost the game despite having several opportunities to score, having led in regular time and in penalties, I am encouraged by the incredible performance from the team.
Man United were able to silence Haaland effectively. Players who had not had a pre-season were able to come in and play like they were training for a month. The kids who came on showed they could play in big games. Casemiro looked like a man reborn. While we have seen that he is not physically able to play every other match, we definitely need his quality this season, so long as we sign someone to deputize and finally take over from him.
Finally, with the signing of De Ligt and Mazraoui, we can finally look forward to a more stable and recognized back four. Manchester United fans can finally feel positive about the season ahead. We may not win the league, but we will definitely push to have our name in the conversation.