How competitive you view the Community Shield probably depends on whether your team wins it or not.
Manchester City have barely warmed up for their latest opportunity for a trophy, playing just one full 90-minute friendly so far this summer after their match with Bayern Munich was affected by the weather. But at the same time, Pep Guardiola was adamant that it counted for his team to claim a clean sweep of four domestic titles in the 2018/19 season.
As long as you don't take pre-season too seriously, there are significant markers that are laid out for the upcoming campaign. Even Jurgen Klopp had to laugh after his side had beaten City in a 2018 friendly when a reporter asked if they had landed a significant psychological blow on the Centurions - the Blues were so devastated they went on to win back-to-back titles.
