Manchester City: Player Ratings for the FA Community Shield

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LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 04: Claudio Bravo of Manchester City celebrates his team’s first goal during the FA Community Shield match between Liverpool and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on August 04, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) /

Claudio Bravo had a triumphant return to the Manchester City squad on Sunday afternoon. Bravo’s tenure at the club has been a rocky one, one that’s seen him struggle and miss an entire season due to injury, but one that’s also seen him be a hero in goal in some the club’s biggest games, such as their Carbao Cup winning run in 2017-18.

Sunday may have been his best performance in a City shirt. Bravo made several good saves that kept Manchester City ahead, and then level late in the proceedings. He played the role of a sweeper well, only once getting caught in a difficult position where the defense had to help him out.

Bravo was also fantastic in his distribution. He set up several cross field passes that led to some of City’s best goal-scoring chances, particularly in the first-half when the team was in the ascendancy. His passing wasn’t far off what Ederson usually provides.

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Though he’ll figure to be a back-up in the upcoming season to Ederson, Bravo showed today why he can still be a valuable contributor to the team. He gives City a lot of what they desire in goal when he’s rotated into the side.

Right Back: Kyle Walker, 8/10

Kyle Walker had a strong performance down the right flank. Though he had the easier of the two fullback assignments, Walker was solid in both facets of the game.

Walker did a good job of covering for the City back-line whenever Liverpool broke on the counter. His speed, strength, and ability to read and anticipate things was spot on for most of the game. His ridiculous bicycle kick to clear a Mohamed Salah header off of the goal line in the final seconds of the game saved City from suffering a heart-breaking defeat. His clearance may have been his finest moment in a City shirt to date.

In the attack, Walker provided his usual level of contributions, bursting down the right side when asked, and linking up well with Bernardo Silva on the right wing. One particular run he made in the second half would have saw him have a fantastic chance to score had Raheem Sterling spotted his run a fraction earlier.

With rumors swirling that Juventus right-back, Joao Cancelo, may soon becoming into the fold, Walker will need play a very high level on consistent basis this season to keep his first-team place. Sunday was a good first step towards doing that.

Center Back: John Stones, 7/10

John Stones kept a low profile throughout Sunday’s match and didn’t factor in much to the proceedings. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that either.

Stones didn’t do much wrong. His distribution was solid, and his defensive work was adequate enough to contain the always dangerous Roberto Firmino. He had a few uncomfortable moments where others had to help out, but he didn’t make any glaring mistakes that put the team in a horrible spot either.

2019-20 could be a career-defining season for Stones at the club. City have, to date, refused to bring on another center-back this summer, leaving them with just three senior first-team players who primarily play that position. That could be an issue for the club as I discussed here.

Sunday was a fine day for him. He’ll need to continue to grow on this performance, though, if he wants to hold down a starting role.

Center Back: Nicolas Otamendi, 8.5/10

Nicolas Otamendi put in an immense performance on Sunday.

Otamendi did a fantastic job of covering for others when they were left behind by the Liverpool attack. He made several crucial blocks, clearances, interceptions and tackles when City needed it most. He looked very much like the elite defender we saw in City’s 100 point winning title season in 2017-18.

He also had a good measure of composure in the game, something he’s had trouble keeping in big games, especially against Liverpool. He kept the risky gambles that have often bitten him in the past to a minimum, and communicated with others well. That helped ease the tension on the back-line.

Between he and Stones, Otamendi was the obvious standout. He did enough to warrant getting serious consideration for being Aymeric Laporte’s partner on the back-line when the Premier League season kicks off for Manchester City next Saturday.

Left Back: Oleksander Zinchenko, 6/10

Out of the defenders in the City back-line, Oleksander ZInchenko was the lone disappointment in defense.

Zinchenko had his hands full with Mohamed Salah all afternoon. He was beaten several times by Salah in one-on-one situations, and missed a number of aerial balls that led to direct chances for Liverpool. One of the few times he did win a header with someone nearby, he headed it down into the path of Salah who ended up hitting a powerful shot off of the near-post.

In attack, Zinchenko didn’t provide the team with much going forward. Though much of that was due to City being forced back by a more energetic and fit Liverpool team in the second half, he didn’t factor in much to the good things that City did in attack in the first half either.

It wasn’t a horrible performance by any stretch from him, but it was an uneven one. Sunday was a reminder that, for as much as he’s grown into the role in the past nine months, there’s still much for Zinchenko to learn.