Five pre-season Premier League trophy lifts more trivial than the Community Shield
The Community Shield matters more than some of these cups hoisted aloft with varying levels of enthusiasm this summer…
Manchester City and Arsenal meet in Cardiff on Sunday to do battle for the Community Shield in a curtain-raiser that seems to take on less prominence with each passing year.
But compared to these five pots contested by Premier League clubs already this summer, the Shield matters. As Jose Mourinho will testify since we’re certain he’s still claiming it as part of his Man Utd treble…
Emirates Cup
Arsenal contrived to lose the trophy they invented when Borussia Dortmund became the sixth other side to win the Emirates Cup last week.
Back at home for the first time since being crowned Premier League champions, Arsenal were 2-0 down to the Germans inside a half hour, and though Ethan Nwaneri pulled one back shortly after the break, assisted by Christian Tzolis, Dortmund re-established their two-goal lead inside four minutes.
Viktor Gyokeres got Arsenal to within a goal from the spot, but Dortmund held on. At least until the meaningless penalty shoot-out that followed, when everyone went through the motions for Arsenal to claim a victory of sorts.
Next year will be the big one, though, when the Emirates Cup celebrates its 20th anniversary. Arsenal have won nine iterations since it was first played in 2007. Can you name the other five winners besides Arsenal and Dortmund? *Answers at the bottom…
Orange Trophy
The Emirates Cup might be England’s preeminent pre-season pot but, in Spain, they’ve been doing this s*** for years…
The 2026 Trofeo Naranja (Orange Trophy) is the 58th staging of Valencia’s summer cup and, quite possibly, the only silverware Matthias Jaissle might lift as Newcastle manager.
The Magpies won 2-1 in the Mestalla thanks to Yoane Wissa’s brace, but the most interesting aspect of this ‘friendly’ was Jose Luis Gaya’s first-half leg-breaker on Anthony Elanga, for which the Valencia defender was rightly dismissed.
Boyle Cup
Just when Leeds United thought they couldn’t hate Manchester United any more, the Red Devils go and beat them to the much-coveted, just-invented Boyle Cup.
In the first game between two English clubs at Croke Park, Lancashire triumphed over Yorkshire on penalties after Brenden Aaronson cancelled out Joshua Zirkzee’s opener, all inside the first half hour.
To penalties they went, with Harry Wilson’s kick saved by a Man Utd keeper you’ve probably never heard of. Bruno Fernandes then rolled his effort wide, but James Justin smashed Leeds’ fifth kick against the bar to set up Noussair Mazraoui as the match winner, allowing United to put the Boyle Cup in its rightful place next to their two European Cups.
Sydney Super Cup
Like the World Cup and the Olympics, the Sydney Super Cup comes only once every four years, the 2026 version being the second ever held after Everton won the first in 2022.
This year’s tournament pitted London against Sydney, with Chelsea beating Sydney Western Wanderers in a 10-goal thriller in one semi while Tottenham needed penalties to seen off Sydney FC in the other.
Tottenham triumphed in the final, despite playing for almost the entire second half after Kevin Danso’s DOGSO dismissal, with Richarlison’s last-gasp winner the difference after Estevao and Sandro Tonali traded strikes in the first half.
Indonesia Super Cup
No matter, Chelsea still bagged their own Super Cup, even if they had to travel to Indonesia to claim it.
A Joao Pedro double and a strike from Moises Caicedo beat AC Milan, which is something the Rossoneri might have to get used to if Ruben Amorim’s first summer in charge is any indication.
Chelsea should have own by a far bigger margin, prompting Amorim to return to Milan with a list of seven players he wants rid of.
But if Christopher Nkunku, Fikayo Tomori and co. sit tight, Amorim might be out of the door before any of them.
*Lyon, Valencia, Galatasaray, Hamburg, New York Red Bulls.
