5 Thoughts From Arsenal’s Defeat of the Singapore XI

You try not to read too much into a game that a Premier League title contender like Arsenal plays against an exhibition team like the Singapore XI. That being said, Arsenal have had a knack for playing down to the level of the opposition in the past and conceding unnecessary goals against opponents that do not necessarily deserve to be scoring against the likes of the Gunners.

Dressed in their snazzy new away kits, this was a new Arsenal team that showed up in Singapore. There was no hesitation, no weakness, no slip-ups and it was not even the full first team. Although the formation jumbled at times, here was the starting XI for the Gunners:

Arsene Wenger put out an excellent combination of assured talent and rising stars to ensure that Arsenal could provide a comprehensive victory while still getting some youngsters some much needed experience.

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There were a ton of talking points even before the game started. How would Jack Wilshere do? Was Chuba Akpom going to shine? Would Martinez be enough in goal? Could Alex Iwobi make a case for the first-team?

Again, while it was only the Singapore XI, it was our first taste of football since Arsenal really hit their stride towards the end of last season. It was also our first (and hopefully last) taste of football without Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud, Alexis Sanchez, Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil – so essentially our entire striking force.

Arsenal ended up putting together a rather nice 4-0 victory, although it could have been worse if not for the fairly stellar performance put up by keeper Izwan Mahbud. It may seem silly to beat the drum after what was clearly inferior opposition, but lets do it anyway. Here are five major talking points from the game.

Next: The Youngsters