With the current formation and tactics that Arsenal employ, it appears that Jack is the one man left without an ideal position. Does this mean the team should work around him or should he be forced into a role not suited to him?
Jack Wilshere is arguably the most talented English player of his generation. Seen as the future of both Arsenal and England, the 21 year old is regarded by many as a player who will almost certainly join the legends from the club’s history around the walls of the Emirates Stadium. But is his future as secure as some might assume?
Ever since Wilshere broke through to become a first team regular during the 2010/2011 season, Arsenal fans have debated profusely over which position suits him best. Initially a wide-playmaker; a position which he thrived in whilst in the youth team, Jack made the transition to become one of a double-pivot alongside Alex Song, where his tenacity and his ability to drive the team forward with his penetrative dribbling and vertical passing meant that a side which had been much criticised for their lateral passing now had a new positive dimension in the team with the inclusion of Wilshere. A number of early season performances caught the eye of the British media, but it was against Barcelona where he really came of age. Once again featuring in a double-pivot, Jack’s ability to hold his own against the best midfield in the world was something which made the whole world start to really take notice of the feisty, but gifted young terrier.
Following his prolonged return from injury last October, Jack slowly but surely began to shine in an Arsenal shirt once again. Featuring mainly in a pivot alongside Mikel Arteta, with Wilshere having more of a free role on the right of Arteta, Jack often showed his best work when bursting into the heart of the oppositions half, with his dribbling ability often leading to chances created in the final third. His outstanding performances led to the media quickly labelling Arsenal a ‘one man team’, claiming that Wilshere was carrying Arsenal through games – a positive sign that Wilshere had finally put the trouble he had with his ankle behind him. Wilshere’s return to stardom was embodied in his Man of the Match performance vs Swansea in the 3rd round of the F.A Cup. Following the game, Wenger commented that “He (Wilshere) is a guy who can dribble and give a final ball, so the closer he is to goal, the better it is” perhaps suggesting that the attacking midfield position is one which he sees Wilshere playing in the future.
However, since Wilshere’s surgery at the end of last season, he has taken time to find his feet again; with only brief glimpses of the player we saw vs. Swansea last season. The re-emergence of Aaron Ramsey has lead to questions being asked of Wilshere’s role in the team and whether the successful pivot of Arteta-Ramsey should be broken up. The potential of both British players means that Wenger will have to find a way of accompanying both in the side, without disrupting Arsenal’s rhythm. Perhaps, despite that performance in the AM role by Wilshere last January against Swansea, the best solution is for Arsenal to switch from a 4-2-3-1 formation to a 4-3-3. This switch would mean that Arsenal would have one deep-lying midfielder, with two slightly more attacking midfielders ahead of him. It is this formation that would benefit both Arsenal and Wilshere extensively. Whilst Wenger has been forced to field a pivot of Wilshere and Ramsey for the first two games of the season due to the injury to Arteta and a lack of cover in the defensive midfield position, both players are clearly too attacking and don’t have the tactical awareness to make it an effective partnership by default.
Many Arsenal fans seem to have lost sight of the player Wilshere can be, largely down to the amount of surgery required on his ankle meaning that his movement at times has looked limited. There is no doubt that Arsene Wenger sees Wilshere as having a key role in any future success Arsenal will have, and for that reason does not want to bring in a midfielder who might limit the amount of game time he receives. Part of the frustration may be down to the fact that like Ramsey until recently, Wilshere’s decision making in the final third has often been lacking, along with his ability to score goals on a regular basis. Despite this, Wilshere clearly has the ingredients required to achieve this and was a regular scorer at youth level, scoring 13 goals in 18 appearances for the under 18s at just 15 year old. Although he can adequately act the role of a deep-lying playmaker, Wilshere is clearly most comfortable further up the pitch. The switch to 4-3-3 would make sense as a way of getting the best out of the current team, with both Ramsey and Wilshere possessing the required work rate to make such a switch work.
The system would work as long as both midfielders push back when the team are defending to prevent gaps opening up in the middle of midfield and between the channels, something which could easily happen with a deep-lying playmaker such as Arteta being exposed by his lack of mobility. This midfield would have balance, although cover for Arteta would be imperative if it were to work. Both Wilshere and Ramsey do not have the tactical discipline of the Spaniard, something which was evident against Aston Villa as the team were cut open time and time again. Arsenal have tried to act on this with a move for Lars Bender, the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder, but have already been rebuffed. A move for the German international would make sense due to his ability to play a variety of midfield roles, including the both the defensive midfield position and the box to box role due to his incredible stamina. This would leave Arsenal far better balanced in midfield, despite Arteta’s obvious qualities.
Jack Wilshere embodies the new ‘British core’ which is emerging at the club, forging grit with natural talent to create what Arsene Wenger hopes will be the leader of the future Arsenal team, with or without Arsenal’s most successful manager. Although Wilshere is perhaps the most gifted Arsenal midfielder, the lack of competition due to there being only 6 ‘true midfielders’ (including Emmanuel Frimpong) in the Arsenal squad means that complacency should not be allowed to creep into his psyche. Signs suggest that Wilshere will undoubtedly emerge as Arsenal’s star man as long as he stays injury free, however the current formation is one which limits his influence on the team due to the lack of space available because of the presence of an attacking midfielder just ahead of him. A player who wears his heart of his sleeve is hard to find in the modern game, but the obvious passion he has for Arsenal and for football in general is one of many reasons why Jack Wilshere is a favourite of many Arsenal fans and neutrals alike. Let’s just hope he can stay injury free.
