Odegaard: Arsenal reminded everyone of their quality with Community Shield win

Martin Odegaard said it was important for Arsenal to issue a reminder of their quality after the Gunners thrashed Manchester City 3-0 to win the Community Shield.

Five days out from their Premier League opener against Coventry City, the English champions looked raring to go as they dispatched Enzo Maresca's City side.

Riccardo Calafiori put Arsenal ahead just 23 seconds after kick-off at Cardiff's Principality Stadium, with Kai Havertz and Odegaard later joining the Italian on the scoresheet.

Arsenal have now won the Community Shield 18 times, with only Manchester United doing so more often (21 times). The Gunners have triumphed in each of their last six participations, also boasting a 100% success rate when going into the fixture as Premier League champions (4/4, also 1998, 2002 and 2004).

Only one of the last 15 Community Shield winners have gone on to lift the Premier League trophy at the end of that campaign, with City doing so in 2018-19. 

But Odegaard feels Arsenal are well-placed to buck that trend, telling TNT Sports: "We wanted to start here with the first trophy. 

"We played some brilliant football, so it was a great performance and a great way to start the season. Let's keep it going.

"It was good for everyone to see our level. We showed that we're ready, we're serious, we want to do it again, and there are more trophies to go. We're well-prepared and ready."

Odegaard's goal was his first for the Gunners in any competition since scoring against Brighton last December in the Premier League.

He had gone 20 competitive matches without finding the net at club level prior to his composed finish on Sunday.

Asked how it felt to be back among the goals, the Norway international said: "I always want to help the team as much as possible with goals, assists and link-up play. 

"I do want to score more goals, and it's a good way to start like that."

Arsenal named two new signings in their starting line-up, and both Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis produced impressive performances.

When asked specifically about Guimaraes' impact in the heart of midfield, Odegaard ensured Tzolis also got the praise he deserved after laying on two assists – the first time an Arsenal debutant has achieved that feat since Willian against Fulham in September 2020.

"He's been unbelievable since the first moment," Odegaard said of Guimaraes. "He feels like a natural part of the team, even though we had some big fights before!

"You can see his quality. He's so good on the ball, but he's a fighter; he wins the ball. He was massive.

"Christos on the left as well. He had two assists and a strong performance. Everyone was good."