Theo Walcott opened the scoring in the first half when the winger finished off a perfectly weighted ball by Santi Cazorla.
Advertisement
However, Ozil was clearly in no mood to stop showing off his skills once the full time whistle had been blown in Singapore.
He said: “I think we had a few chances”.
However, it will be a completely different game for the favourites, who will be facing a Premier League club compared to the makeshift eleven they had to face on 15 July.
Niggling and persistent injuries obliterated the last season for the former Borussia Dortmund man as he featured just 11 times – and just once after December 15. Walcott’s contract expires at the end of next season, and despite the insistence of both player and manager that they would like a compromise to be reached, there is no tangible progress.
Arsenal, who beat a Singapore Select XI 4-0 on Wednesday with a youthful lineup, then turned the screws with Cazorla orchestrating a third for Ozil four minutes later as Everton wilted in the hot and humid conditions at Singapore’s National Stadium.
FA Cup holders Arsenal meet Everton in the final later today.
Walcott’s pace posed a threat again 10 minutes later when he escaped down the left, only to overhit his cross beyond the reach of Olivier Giroud. Arsenal continued pressing the Everton goal as Mesut Özil and Aaron Ramsey linked up well on the edge of the penalty box, but the Welshman’s shot dragged wide of the goal.
Quiet as he played a deeper role in the absence of Francis Coquelin.
But for that to happen, he needs more protection from referees.
Wenger’s side looked the more accomplished from the outset and took the lead midway through the first half when Walcott and Cazorla linked for the England man to score.
Chelsea’s first bid of £20 million was predictably rejected and few doubt that they soon be back for John Stones.
He said: “Last season I felt I didn’t have that much confidence but I kept trying and pushing on to get better”. The next big step is to challenge for the Premier League. That is not the result of some warped set of judgments but rather the natural outcome of there being quotas about home-grown players in what is the richest league in any case.
Advertisement
“You don’t want to use the word “if” in sport so we want to make sure we do it from the start [this time]”.
