This is a tone-set game丨Community Shield may reveal the direction of Liverpool s new Premier League season!

It has only 75 days since Liverpool lifted the Premier League Championship trophy at Anfield Stadium, but the new season is impatient to come to us. In the 2025-26 season, the Reds will officially start their defending title journey against Bournemouth on August 15. Before that, this weekend's FA Community Shield will become an important test for them to test their preparation results, and their opponent is FA Cup champion Crystal Palace. The history of the community shield dates back more than a century ago, and the season opener tradition was staged by Premier League champions vs. FA Cup champions. Although the debate over whether it "whether it counts as a major honor" has never stopped, the showdown, witnessed by nearly 90,000 spectators at Wembley Stadium, provides both sides with the opportunity to find a sense of the game in a high-intensity confrontation. Liverpool has won the trophy in the past 16 times, and Sunday will be the first time Crystal Palace has entered the stage. For Liverpool, this game may reveal their status in the new season in advance.

The harvest and hidden worries of the preseason

Because of not participating in the New Club World Cup held in the United States from June 14 to July 13, coach Arne Slot and the players received a rare rest period. The overall performance of the preseason was good - he won 5 games in 6 warm-up matches, with a total score of 20-9, and the only loss came from a friendly match with AC Milan. The Asian tour in Hong Kong and Japan attracted a large number of fans, and in the "double match day" of home and away against Athletic Bilbao this Monday, almost all players received playing time. The team has shown Slott's smooth and emphasis on ball control on the offensive end, but there is still room for improvement on the defensive end.

However, the bigger test comes from off-field. Last month, forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva died in a car accident. This not only caused Liverpool to lose an excellent player, but also caused the locker room to lose its beloved teammates. Throughout the summer, the club and players have paid tribute to Jota in various ways, and this grief will accompany the team for a long time. Slott said in an interview with LFCTV: "If you want to laugh, if you want to cry, if you want to train, it doesn't matter if you don't want to train. Be yourself and don't suppress your emotions."

The rapid integration of new players

Although a major change after winning the championship is rare, Liverpool obviously has plans this summer. Only Federico Chiesa was introduced last summer, so the need for reinforcement was clear. Today, they have invested more than 250 million pounds to sign. The biggest move is Florian Werz, who signed from Leverkusen - he refused Bayern's choice to join the Reds, with a transfer fee of up to £116 million (including additional terms). The 22-year-old German midfielder quickly integrated and had already scored his first goal in Japan's match against Yokohama Mariners. Milos Kolkz, Jeremy Flinpon and others also adapted quickly; goalkeeper Mamaldashvili, who signed last year and loaned to Valencia last season, performed steadily; and forward Ekitic, who was introduced from Frankfurt for £69 million, also showed threats in the match against Athletic Bilbao.

It is worth mentioning that the biggest surprise of the preseason may be the 16-year-old striker Leo Ngumoha who scored three goals from Chelsea youth training in 2024, including a personal long-distance run on Monday. Although the club will try to reduce external pressure, he has entered Slot's new season plan.

The transfer market still has suspense

This summer, Louis Dias transfers to Bayern, Darwin Nunes will join Saudi Riyadh Crescent, and Chiesa, who has played few games, may also seek to leave the team. The Reds hope to introduce another striker, Newcastle's Isaac is the first choice, but the £110 million offer has been rejected and negotiations will continue. On the defense line, Jarrell Kunsa transfers to Leverkusen, and Van Dijk is 34 years old, Joe Gomez and Connate have a history of injury, Liverpool urgently needs to add to the central defender. Crystal Palace defender Mark Gei is one of their goals. He only has one year contract with the Palace. This weekend's Community Shield may be the "early inspection" of both sides.

A prelude to the new season with a tone set game

Community Shield's victory or defeat may not fully prove Liverpool's season preparation, but it is still of reference value. After all, although the nature is close to a friendly match, avoiding injuries and improving physical fitness is the primary goal, the temptation of the trophy can always inspire fighting spirit.

For Crystal Palace, after winning the first FA Cup in team history, they are eager to create another surprise at Wembley. If the Red Army wants to win, it must match the opponent's fighting spirit. Once you lose, doubts will come before the opening game of the Premier League; if you can win the cup, you can declare your determination and strength to defend the title to the outside world.

As the defending champion, Liverpool is the "prey" of every team in the new season. This weekend, they will have an opportunity to prove that they are still worthy of being chased.