Viktor Gyokeres has made Arsenal's Community Shield against Manchester City sound like anything but a warm-up. Asked about the game, he was blunt: Arsenal want to win it, and they do not see it as a friendly. The match is being played at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff because Wembley is tied up with concert bookings.

Gyokeres on Arsenal's approach

"Against City? As a friendly? I don't know what other people think but we want to win that game of course, for sure," Gyokeres told goal.com. He followed that up by saying titles bring confidence and a boost, and that Arsenal want to be ready for the new season.

That is the right tone for a team trying to turn pre-season into something useful. Arsenal have won all five of their last five listed competitive fixtures, which at least gives the message some backing. Gyokeres himself has a 7.1 season rating, a decent enough base for a player being asked to lead the line in a game Arsenal clearly want to take seriously.

The point is not that the Community Shield is the Champions League final. It is still a trophy, though, and Gyokeres is treating it that way.

The warning signs Arsenal still carry

The confidence comes with a caveat. Arsenal have shipped three goals in each of their last two pre-season friendlies, and that is the cleaner read on where the sharp edges still are.

Gyokeres said the team learned a lot from Borussia Dortmund, including how much better they need to be defensively after being stretched by runs in behind and a corner. He was also honest that the early goals were frustrating. If Arsenal are going to use Cardiff as a launching point, the defensive side has to look more organised than it has in those last two friendlies.

Arsenal's summer has also been shaped by the arrival of Bruno Guimarães, with Newcastle tied to a reported £75m deal. The fee is one outlet's figure, while another put the move at £75million with a four-year deal. Gyokeres was complimentary either way, saying Guimarães is an "extremely good player" who will bring energy and quality.

Mikel Arteta was even more direct about the effect he expects. He called Guimarães a warrior with quality, intuition, leadership and charisma, and said he will help ignite something different in the team. For Arsenal, that is the basic test against City and it begins in Cardiff on 16 August.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →