As far as Arsenal and England players go, few are more enigmatic than midfielder Jack Wilshere. Thrust onto the international scene at the tender age of 18, Wilshere responded with the aura of one many years his senior, dazzling the football world with his creativity, drive and technique. The sky seemed to be the limit for young Jack, with many onlookers placing the fate of both his club and country on his slender shoulders. However, after over a year on the sidelines with an ankle injury, the unthinkable happened: his progress halted. While he still occasionally showcased his talent following the injury problems, his performances were largely littered with sloppy and weak displays. Not to be deterred, Wilshere has come back with a vengeance over the past few months, looking a lot more like the 19-year-old wonder kid with the footballing world at his feet. While he primarily played as a box-to-box midfielder during the 2010-2011 season, the emergence of a few factors makes re-claiming his old role quite tough. This begs a simple question: in what position does Jack Wilshere’s long-term future lie?
The first option would be the role that he’s had the most familiarity with, as a box-to-box midfielder. Wilshere’s slaloming runs and ability to exploit space makes him perfect for this position, as he has displayed countless times in the past. His defensive qualities have been an issue in such a role, with many questioning his ability to solidify the centre of the pitch as a deep-lying player. The main problem, however, is not embedded within itself, it’s embedded within the team: Aaron Ramsey. The Welshman’s world class 2013-2014 season has helped him cement the box-to-box role for the foreseeable future, leaving Wilshere’s long term position up in the air. Arsène Wenger has tried to field them both as central midfield players in his newly implemented 4-1-4-1 system, however the formation seems to have had a detrimental effect on every player that isn’t Jack Wilshere. Unless Wenger can find a way to make such a formation click, it seems only one box-to-box role will be available to two excellent players. Wilshere must have an absolutely immense season to reclaim it from Ramsey.
Alternatively, Wilshere could mould himself into the role he currently fills for England: deep-lying playmaker. While he definitely doesn’t possess the defensive skills to regularly fill this position currently, he has all the attributes – particularly technically – necessary to do so in the future. Fielded at the base of a midfield diamond for the Three Lions over the past few international games, Wilshere has absolutely thrived, winning two man of the match awards in the process. His pinpoint passing, a result of his excellent vision, and ability to evade opposing defenders are often reminiscent of the much-revered class of deep-lying playmakers in today’s game, such as Andrea Pirlo, Luka Modrić and Xabi Alonso, the latter of whom Wilshere has admitted to be studying tapes of. In fact, Arsène Wenger has even tipped the young Englishman to grow into the deep lying-playmaker role, saying “his best position is as a deep-lying playmaker, where he can be a distributer. He has a good burst and vision.” It seems he will have to develop into this position if the much discussed ‘Ramsey Wilshere pivot’ will ever become a regular sight for Arsenal. In order to do so, he’ll have to curb his attacking instincts, focusing more on dictating play than driving forward. It’ll take time, but the deep-lying playmaker role is definitely a feasible option for club and country.
Lastly, the future for Wilshere could lie in a more advanced role, something he’s has admitted to being keen on in the past. Primarily used as a right attacking midfielder for the Arsenal youth side, Wilshere has dabbled in more advanced roles a few times in the past, with mixed results – and largely to the benefit of his development. On occasion, he’s been the best player on the pitch, linking up with the attackers and driving forward to perfection. An example of such is against Swansea in the 2012-2013 season, where he started as a number 10 and registered one of his finest performances in an Arsenal shirt to date. Many times however, he’s looked static and restricted further up the pitch. The lack of space in forward positions coupled with the fact that Wilshere rarely looks to drift wide means that defenders can often stifle his movements with a man marker. In addition, this role is already filled by Mesut Özil – one of the finest natural number 10’s in World football. Unless the German maestro leaves Arsenal in the foreseeable future, it seems that Wilshere will have to wait to get his chance as an advanced playmaker, if he even gets a chance at all. Regardless, it appears that his skill set is more suited to a deeper role.
The sky is the limit for Jack Wilshere, despite however many question makes still remain over where exactly he’ll play in the future. With the box-to-box and number 10 positions currently filled, it seems he has 2 options on the table: he can compete with Mesut Özil and Aaron Ramsey in an attempt to reclaim a more favoured attacking role, or he can adapt his game to a deeper position. Regardless of which route both he and Arsène Wenger decide to take, the Englishmen certainly possesses the talent necessary to thrive in both scenarios. No one knows what twists the future holds, and this includes which position Jack Wilshere will end up in long term. Seeing how his career pans out will be a major storyline for Arsenal fans across the globe.
