Enzo Maresca has suggested that Manchester City’s lack of pre-season preparation played a significant role in their disappointing Community Shield defeat to Arsenal.

City went into the match with four starting players who had not featured during the club’s pre-season campaign.

According to Maresca, speaking in an interview with Sky Sports Premier League on Thursday, the lack of competitive minutes was a key factor in City’s inability to find their rhythm against an Arsenal side that looked sharper from the opening whistle.

The warning signs came almost immediately.

Arsenal struck after just 24 seconds, putting City on the back foot before they had even settled into the contest. From there, Arsenal controlled large periods of the match and ultimately secured a convincing 3–0 victory.

Maresca believes the lack of preparation affected City’s cohesion, particularly with several players being introduced straight into a high-intensity competitive fixture without the benefit of pre-season minutes.

In his words: “We started with four players in the starting XI who did not play one minute in pre-season, while at Arsenal, all 11 players had played minutes before the game. The physical condition was completely different between us and them.”

For Maresca, the Community Shield was a reminder of how important match fitness and familiarity can be at the beginning of a new campaign.