Viktor Gyökeres on Community Shield: A Trophy That Matters
Viktor Gyökeres has no time for the old clichés about the Community Shield.
For the Arsenal striker, Sunday against Manchester City is not a warm-up, not a showpiece, not a “glorified friendly.” It is a trophy. And trophies matter.
“Against City? As a friendly? I don’t know what other people think but we want to win that game of course, for sure,” the Swedish international snapped, brushing aside the suggestion that this curtain-raiser somehow sits outside the serious business of the season.
He knows what early silverware can do for a dressing room. Momentum. Belief. A jolt of electricity before the grind even begins.
“When you win titles, you get confidence, you get a boost with everything that comes with it. So, yeah, it's only positive things with that. We want to make sure that we're not only on top of that but that we're ready for the new season."
A different stage, same stakes
This year’s Community Shield comes with a twist. The FA has confirmed that the 2026 edition will leave its traditional Wembley home and head to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, with concerts taking over the national stadium.
The venue may change. The edge clearly will not.
Arsenal arrive with a new jewel in the middle of the pitch. The club have landed Bruno Guimarães in a £75m deal from Newcastle, a statement signing to stiffen an already formidable title-winning core.
“Yeah, we're all very happy,” Gyökeres said, the excitement obvious. “He's an extremely good player and I think he will bring a lot of energy and his qualities to the team. I only have positive things to say."
Arteta now has another elite operator to knit his side together. On paper, the attack looks frightening. On the pitch, though, pre-season has thrown up some uncomfortable reminders that paper counts for nothing once the whistle goes.
Goals flowing both ways
Arsenal have leaked three goals in each of their last two friendlies, the most recent a 3-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in which Gyökeres scored from the spot but spent much of the night watching yellow shirts pour forward.
“[Borussia] Dortmund played man-to-man, when they attacked, they rotated a lot and made runs in behind,” he reflected. “It was a good test for us and we learned what we have to do much better defensively. The third goal came from a corner, the other two goals at the beginning were of course frustrating as well."
Those lapses are not being swept under the carpet. With a Premier League opener looming against his former club Coventry City, the 28-year-old knows Arsenal cannot rely on simply outscoring everyone.
The champions want control as well as chaos. Clean sheets as well as headlines.
Champions with a target on their backs
Inside the camp, though, there is no sense of a group resting on last season’s achievement. If anything, Gyökeres insists, the edge has sharpened.
Asked whether he sees the same desire in Mikel Arteta’s eyes as they move into another campaign, his answer was clipped and telling: “More hunger!”
Retaining the Premier League is one of the hardest tricks in the modern game. Gyökeres is under no illusion about what lies ahead. Arsenal are no longer the hunters; they are the benchmark.
"You can think about it [starting the season as champions] in a million different ways," he said. "If it is harder or not I don’t know but it will be difficult to win the league, even if you won it last season it is still a big challenge.
"It is the best league in the world and a lot of teams are in very good shape with very good players. We won last season and we will try to win it this season as well."
So the narrative around the Community Shield can roll on, with its debates about intensity and importance. Inside Arsenal’s camp, the view is blunt.
There is a trophy on the line against Manchester City. For a squad intent on proving last season was a launchpad rather than a peak, that is all that needs to be said.
