The short answer to the question posed above is probably “not much at all” if we are completely honest.

Most fans regard the Community Shield as little more than a glorified pre-season friendly.

The winners will always celebrate it as the first trophy of the season and a good way to begin a campaign. But the losers will see it as nothing but a final training exercise before the real games begin.

But Arsenal did win – and we are obviously all very happy about that. After the disappointing way the season ended last time, beating Manchester City to lift a first trophy since 2020 is something to be celebrated. But what does the victory tell us about the season ahead? The online betting sites have no doubt that City will still go on to win the league again. But could the Gunners upset the odds?

Lifting the Curse

A stoppage time equalizer and a win on penalties is certainly an exciting way to kick off the new campaign. But Mikel Arteta will be conscious that everyone will now be expecting Arsenal to fall under the Community Shield curse that has affected winners in the last few years.

Only one team have gone on to win the Premier League title after claiming the traditional season curtain-raiser since 2011 – and even a top four finish has eluded many of the victors. Arsenal only finished eighth after the last triumph in 2020 and even Arsène Wenger was unable to oversee anything better than a sixth-place finish in his final season at the club. 

Beating Man City

Of course, one major confidence boost that Arsenal can take from the win is just beating Manchester City at all. The last two meetings were particularly important as they effectively handed the league title to Pep Guardiola’s side. But Arsenal hadn’t been able to better City in the last nine games overall.

A lot has been said in the last few years about the psychological barrier faced by Arteta – and the Arsenal players – concerning Manchester City. Now that curse has been broken and the Gunners will go into fixtures against the league champions with less fear than before. 

New Players

Going so close last season will have done a lot for Arsenal’s hopes for this season. But there have also been some very interesting new arrivals at the Emirates. Some fans may have hoped that more players would have come through the door, but Arteta has recruited wisely.

Declan Rice is the big signing of the summer. He was by far the best player at West Ham last season and has consistently shown how impressive he is for the national side too. After Granit Xhaka left for the Bundesliga, Rice will be able to fill that defensive midfield hole but also adds an attacking option.

Kai Havertz could show the promise that prompted Chelsea to bring him to England in the first place, while Jurriën Timber adds an exciting element to the Arsenal defence. Learning his skills coming through the ranks at Ajax bodes well for the future and the side could well be more solid than before this term. 

Renewed Belief

All the positives taken from last season’s exploits and the Community Shield win will only have emboldened the belief in the Arsenal changing room. After years of falling away too quickly, the recent developments at the club have made other teams and fans treat Arsenal as a threat and a side to be feared.

Much has been said of trusting the process with Mikel Arteta. But the improvement of last season just shows that giving him time to turn the squad into his own was well worth it. Many other Premier League club owners have sacked managers much earlier without benefiting from the move. 

New Challenges

Arsenal may have won some more respect from the media and other clubs after last season. But there is still a feeling that not everyone expects the Gunners to repeat the title challenge. The first test for the players will be to prove that last year was not a fluke.

Bringing in the new players and getting them to seamlessly fit in is something that Arteta will be hoping to achieve. With hardly any major losses from the squad in the summer, Arsenal will be looking to move forward once again. The main challenge will be to make sure that the likes of Newcastle and Liverpool don’t steal a march on Arsenal’s efforts.

More Trophies?

With the money that some of the other top clubs in the Premier League have at their disposal, it could be argued that Arsenal should not really be able to compete at all. The players showed last season that they are a team that can challenge City at the top – but there are other trophies on offer as well.

Arsenal have a very close relationship with the FA Cup, of course. Although only lifting that cup would probably be a disappointment at this stage of the season, another honour is always something to celebrate. The Carabao Cup may not be at the top of most fans’ priority lists but there has to be some hope for the Champions League. A good group stage performance could really set the tone for the European campaign.

Premier League Title

So, why shouldn’t we feel that Arsenal could go one better and win the Premier League title this season? It won’t be easy and no one else seems to give the Gunner much of a chance, but we showed last season that we don’t really take much notice of the opinions of others.

Arteta has fostered an incredible belief in the players, the fans, and the whole club – and this squad is better placed than any in recent memory to challenge for the title. A good start is an absolute must, in order to keep up with Manchester City, of course. But if some of the most important fixtures can be won in the opening months of the campaign, Arsenal stand as good a chance as anyone to finish top of the league.