Jack Wilshere has spoken out over the competition in the Arsenal midfield and claims he is more than willing to battle his way into the team: “That’s going to be tough, of course it is, but I’m up for the challenge and I’m sure all the other boys are as well”.
Wilshere feels that the competition in the squad is a good thing and can only help lift the performance of the entire team to a point where they can challenge Chelsea for the Premier League title. “Competition is a good thing. Look at the teams who have won the league in the past and look at Chelsea last year… They had a great squad and we feel we’ve got a squad to match them now”.
It isn’t just on the pitch that Wilshere feels Arsenal can rival Chelsea; he hinted that Arsenal are more than a match for their rivals in the transfer market: “I don’t think it’s a worry [the other teams are spending]. Everyone trusts the boss here and if the right player comes up and fits into our team and squad, the boss will go out and buy him”.
The England international has scored 12 goals in 155 appearances for the Gunners but has missed large chunks of previous seasons due to a recurring ankle injury. 23-year-old Wilshere is presently without injury and is using his chance well by scoring the second of Arsenal’s four goals against the Singapore Select XI.
Looking ahead to the game against Everton on Saturday Wilshere has said that ball retention is key to victory, especially in the extreme heats where the players won’t want to be constantly chasing the ball. “Especially in this heat, you want to work on winning the ball back high up the pitch and when we have it, we want to keep it because you don’t want to be chasing too much. Everton like to keep the ball so we want to keep it as much as we can”.
However, Wilshere is already looking ahead to the new Premier League season and believes that the entire squad needs to be physically ready: “I think [it’s just about getting fitness]… We want to win every game and the boss tells us that before the game, and stuff that we can work on during the game, but the main thing here is fitness”.
It is clear that Wilshere is fully determined to win his place in the Arsenal line-up and should he keep himself fit for the entire season, there is no reason why he can’t do just that.
