After Jack Wilshere’s man of the match performance at home to Manchester City on Saturday lunchtime, I’ll be assessing his season so far and what we’ll come to expect from a man looking ever closer to regaining full match fitness and sharpness.
His Season So Far
Jack Wilshere has begun this season in a fantastic manner, after starring against Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime, people are starting to see what once promised so much. Jack Wilshere has been really good to spectate this season, he looks in better shape, his mentality is in the right place and his passing and dribbling attributes seemed to have got better as well. He was superb against Besiktas in the Champions League, and after a good performance for England in Basel on Monday night, you can see the strength in confidence he is beginning to show once again.
The young Englishman bossed the midfield against Manchester City, starting brightly very early on, he controlled the tempo of the match, he looked to stamp his authority on the game by pulling the strings in everything Arsenal did. He played as an effective attacking midfielder, driving forward, making bursting runs which was beneficial because it drew attention, which created more space for his team-mates to run into.
Jack Wilshere really was fantastic against City, and his goal epitomised exactly how good he was. A lovely one two in the middle of the park and Aaron Ramsey fed him before chipping delightfully over Joe Hart from a tight angle, it is really refreshing to see him coming back into the sort of form which he had become accustomed to, at such a young age. Jack’s all-round game was brilliant to watch and his strength on the day was a defining factor. He used his physical presence to shrug off the likes of Samir Nasri, much to the delight of the Arsenal fans, and it really shocked City, if he carries on playing such fluid, free-flowing football consistently, it could be his year and it came only mean one thing.
Why He May Not Have Filled Maximum Potential
I don’t think it is necessarily an easy task to be asked to play such a crucial role as a defensive midfielder as a 19-year old, because the lack of experience and the amount of pressure on him at that young age, as well as playing around role models such a a Fabregas and van Persie, comes at a price.
Unfortunately, he has had injuries, and before today, I don’t think we had really seen a fully-fit, free-flowing Jack Wilshere for some time and his fitness is an absolutely crucial part of his game because once he is 100% fit or there abouts! he is no doubt a wonderful player to watch.
There has never been any doubt over Jack’s attitude, desire and commitment because he has always given 100% whenever he plays, but today he really showed why he is starting to step up again, which can only lead to better things.
I must give Wilshere credit, as much as he loves the club, it can always be hard when he has seen team-mates come and go, which ultimately had big influences on him. Friend and idol Cesc Fabregas has moved clubs twice during this transitional phase where Arsenal were trophy-less for so long and surely had an effect on Wilshere, because the two were linking up for fun during the 2010-11 season.
Is He The Future?
Joining his boyhood club as a 9-year old, there has always been articles and perches that Jack Wilshere would eventually become Arsenal’s main man, and even Cesc Fabregas said he thought the Arsenal fans were overreacting when he signed for Barcelona because he believed Wilshere was Arsenal’s future. I genuinely believe that he will play a pivotal part this season, but with such a plethora of talented individuals around him in that Arsenal midfield area, he can certainly learn from them as well as become a key part of the Arsenal plan for many, many years to come, and let’s remember he is not even at his peak yet. And with Mesut Özil, Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla and Alexis Sánchez all around him, the future looks very, very bright for the Gunners.
Player Analysis by Alex Burns for FreshArsenal.com | See my weekly column after every Arsenal game as I analyse one player each week.