Man City stars not satisfied despite heavy loss to Arsenal: 'The score does not reflect what we showed'

Mateo Kovacic believes that the 0-3 defeat to Arsenal in the 2026 Community Shield made Man City look much worse than their actual performance, while emphasizing that the decisive moments went in favor of the opponent.

Man City began the Enzo Maresca era with a 0-3 defeat to Arsenal in the 2026 Community Shield. However, Mateo Kovacic does not believe that the three-goal margin accurately reflects what his team showed at the Principality Stadium.

Man City were put in a difficult position almost immediately when Riccardo Calafiori scored after less than 30 seconds. Kai Havertz then doubled the lead before Martin Odegaard sealed the 3-0 win for Arsenal in the second half.

After the match, Kovacic admitted Arsenal did better in the decisive moments, but the Croatian midfielder still did not fully accept the final score.

“Clearly today was not our day. The decisive moments were all on their side. In the two penalty areas, they did better than us, but overall, I don't think we played as badly as the score suggests.”, Kovacic shared.

According to Kovacic, Man City were not completely dominated by Arsenal in terms of the game. The biggest difference lies in the ability to take chances and handle the small details - something especially important in a match between two high-level teams.

“That's football. At this level, very small margins can decide the whole match.”, the 32-year-old midfielder added.

In fact, conceding in the first few seconds immediately disrupted Man City's plans. While Maresca's team had not yet found their rhythm, Arsenal took full advantage to steer the match into a favorable situation for themselves.

Nevertheless, the 0-3 scoreline remains a significant warning for Maresca in his first official match as Man City head coach. The Community Shield is not a title that decides the entire season, but the way Arsenal punished every mistake shows that the reigning Premier League champions still have many details to improve.

Notably, Kovacic also mentioned the team's physical condition and his role as one of the experienced players in the dressing room. With the new season just around the corner, the Croatian midfielder believes Man City need to quickly learn from the experience rather than letting the first defeat affect their confidence.