Liverpool’s Community Shield loss: Is it a blessing in disguise?

Liverpool’s penalty shoot-out defeat to Crystal Palace at Wembley on Sunday may have stung in the moment, but the Reds might just have avoided a problem. The Community Shield is seen as a curtain-raiser for the new season, more like a glorified friendly, but history shows that winning it often leads to disappointment in the Premier League.

The statistics are startling. Since 2011, only one team has managed to win both the Community Shield and the Premier League in the same season — Manchester City in 2018-19. Out of 14 Community Shield winners since then, just that solitary City triumph broke the pattern. Also, in the Premier League era, just 8 out of 33 winners went on to win the title.

The pattern is remarkable in its consistency. Arsenal won the Shield in 2014-15, 2015-16, 2017-18, 2020-21, and 2023-24, yet failed to claim the Premier League crown in any of those campaigns. Manchester United’s three Shield victories since 2011 produced zero league titles as well. Even Liverpool themselves fell victim in 2022-23, winning at Wembley but watching Pep’s Manchester City storm to another Premier League crown. In all honesty, all these teams failed to win the league because they had other problems on the pitch, but fans want to think differently.

Crystal Palace’s penalty triumph means they now face this challenge. However, we all know they are not one of the favourites to win the title this year. For Oliver Glasner, it represents an incredible achievement, delivering two trophies for Palace in just two months, following their FA Cup success. The Austrian manager has transformed the Eagles into winners, and their Community Shield victory will be celebrated in South London. It’s still a trophy and they have defeated the current Premier League champions. They have every right to celebrate this victory.

Liverpool fans can now approach the new Premier League campaign with a curious sense of relief. While there is no real curse in football, just superstition that fans enjoy discussing, history suggests they have avoided a difficult pattern that has affected some of English football’s biggest names. Sometimes, losing at Wembley might just be the best thing that could happen to their title hopes.

However, in reality Liverpool need to fix their defence and counter-pressing after losing possession. They are also still interested in bringing Alexander Isak to add more variety to their attack. Superstition is part of sport, which might not be ideal but it’s a popular thing among the fans.