Arsenal 3-0 Manchester City: The Gunners won the Community Shield giving Mikel Arteta an early-season triumph while condemning new City boss Enzo Maresca to defeat in his first game in charge
As is so often the case with managerial changes made in the aftermath of failure, Scotland appear to have turned on their heels and gone in a completely new direction.
As Premier League teams prepare for the fast-approaching 2026-27 season, they've been trudging their way through their customary pre-season friendlies.
SIMON JONES: Negotiations are in the early stages but it is understood to be a considerable offer from one of Brazil's biggest clubs who have just come out of a transfer embargo.
LEWIS STEELE: Two weeks ago, it was probably fair to say Liverpool had a crisis in their defensive department and risked going into the new season incredibly undercooked.
The 2-0 friendly victory over French club Brest, achieved thanks to first-half strikes from Chris Wood (from the penalty spot) and Luca Netz, featured few of Forest's key men.
Cristiano Ronaldo admitted that he will likely call time on his three decades in football at the end of the season in an interview about his wedding to Georgina Rodriguez.
OLIVER HOLT IN CARDIFF: When the curtain went up on the new Premier League season at the Principality Stadium, Manchester City recoiled at what they saw.
There has been a notable shift within the club to put a stronger emphasis on young talent, with a view that its historic conveyor belt has slowed in recent years.
Charlie Morgan made headlines back in 2013 when he caused Blues icon Hazard to be sent off in a League Cup game. He had received the ball, dived on it - seemingly to waste time.
You can take your pick of delicate negotiations declared done by Romano which are so far from conclusion that he cannot possibly have consulted all parties to undertake a journalistic job on it.
JACK GAUGHAN: The Manchester City dressing room has looked within itself this summer, wondering about hangovers and resets and their changing world. The king is dead and all that.
Say what you will about the Prime Minister but, occasionally, he can make a whole audience nod in agreement. 'Please. Sign a right back,' he said, when asked what he'd wish for his beloved Everton.
Max Dowman is no longer Arsenal's best-kept secret. The Gunners have long believed he possesses something extraordinary. Now, they are preparing to find out just how far he really can go.
As is so often the case with managerial changes made in the aftermath of failure, Scotland appear to have turned on their heels and gone in a completely new direction.
JACK GAUGHAN IN CARDIFF: The odds exceptionally lengthy, the name not on anybody's bingo card. Maybe a quiz question in years to come, albeit a slightly tame one.
City's 3-0 defeat by Arsenal in the Community Shield laid bare the need for central midfield reinforcements, with a move for Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi nearing completion.
As Premier League teams prepare for the fast-approaching 2026-27 season, they've been trudging their way through their customary pre-season friendlies.
SIMON JONES: Negotiations are in the early stages but it is understood to be a considerable offer from one of Brazil's biggest clubs who have just come out of a transfer embargo.
Derek McInnes has welcomed the prospect of a blockbuster Old Firm derby after Rangers were drawn to face Celtic in the quarter-finals of the Premier Sports Cup.
LEWIS STEELE: Two weeks ago, it was probably fair to say Liverpool had a crisis in their defensive department and risked going into the new season incredibly undercooked.
The 2-0 friendly victory over French club Brest, achieved thanks to first-half strikes from Chris Wood (from the penalty spot) and Luca Netz, featured few of Forest's key men.
How Derek McInnes needed this. How Rangers needed this. After a turbulent start to the new season, the new manager finally savoured his first taste of victory at the fifth time of asking.
ROSS HEPPENSTALL AT TURF MOOR: Nuno Espirito Santo was interviewed live on national radio about West Ham's summer of upheaval and prospects for the new season.
