Guy Clarke
Since Jack Wilshere first burst onto the scene with Arsenal in 2008 he has been portrayed as England’s saviour, however, this season things don’t seem to be going as smoothly. There have been various reasons for Wilshere beginning to draw criticism rather than the praise he has become accustomed to, especially as he is yet to find a settle place in the team.
When he broke into the first team, after returning from a loan spell with Bolton, Wilshere operated mainly in a deep midfield role, playing a playmaker role, while also adding his own energy to the role. This was an extremely successful season personally for the youngster as he picked up the Arsenal Player of the Year award, PFA Young Player of the Year award and also got a place in the PFA Team of the Year. Injuries have disrupted his career since as he missed the whole 2011/12 season and even last season missed spells through injury.
Now, trying to reassert himself in the team Jack is in a new environment, the midfield has changed drastically from the one he knew just two years ago. The likes of Alex Song, Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri have all departed and the chemistry of the midfield has changed with Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Flamini, Santi Cazorla, Mesut Ozil and even to an extent Aaron Ramsey (who was injured during the 2010/11 season) coming into the team. This has meant in recent weeks Wenger has placed Wilshere on the left wing, where he has been able to do a job for the team but has struggled to make an impact on matches as we are use to, leading to criticism.
Even last season he struggled at times especially when played in an attacking midfield role, which is where he has been tipped to end up playing, finding he did not have as much time and space on the ball as he does when playing from a deeper role. By his own admission he wants to add goals to his game, and this is why the logical conclusion would be made to play him further up the pitch, but first and foremost he is a fantastic passer and controlling the tempo of matches especially from a deeper position seems to be his forte.
Last weekend at the Hawthorns during the first half he struggled out wide, but once Aaron Ramsey was replaced by Tomas Rosicky it allowed Wilshere to move inside, and from that position, his and Arsenal’s fortunes changed. He was able to get a goal, albeit from a deflection, play a sublime pass into Olivier Giroud who perhaps should have found the back of the net and also had a good penalty appeal turned down after a heavy challenge in the area by Youssouf Mulumbu.
Now on international duty with England we are likely to really see what he can do. Roy Hodgson has made Jack one of the most important players in his team and next to Gerrard at the base of the midfield England look very strong. As Gerrard holds the midfield together, playing an almost quarterback-like role, Wilshere gives the midfield energy and moves higher up the pitch to assist attacks with acute through balls, rather than the long range of passing we are used to seeing from Gerrard.
This is a similar set up as to what Wilshere was accustomed to when he broke into the Arsenal first team, sitting deep next to Alex Song whilst moving up the pitch to get involved in neat passing moves with Cesc Fabregas. Before Wilshere broke into the Arsenal side, Fabregas had been the deep-lying playmaker but Wilshere’s arrival on the scene allowed him to move further up the pitch and add goals to his game, and is a position we have now become used to seeing Fabregas play for both Barcelona and Spain.
The problem at Arsenal though is the way in which Aaron Ramsey has developed. Ramsey has taken on the role in the centre of midfield next to Flamini or as it was last season Mikel Arteta that Wilshere is most suited to. Both have terrific energy, commit themselves into tackles and have a fine array of passing but in Ramsey’s case he is simply unstoppable at the moment and has added the one thing Jack is yet to on a consistent basis; goals.
It will be a long strenuous season, and with the quality the Arsenal midfield possesses currently Wenger will find the balance, with neither Wilshere or Ramsey playing centrally for the past two matches as Arteta and Flamini have formed the base of the midfield, but for Wilshere this will be a time that shapes him. He will have to remain patient and wait for his chance in the centre again, but whilst playing out wide, will have to play for the team and realise that he does not have win matches by himself, though he certainly has the ability to.
