Jack Wilshere Shows Once Again That He Can Excel In Defensive Role

So with the international break still here the only thing we can really hope for is for all Arsenal players to return back to the Emirates with no more injuries and, if possible, in decent form. However we have also seen one player show Wenger exactly what he’s missing in regards to a defensive option; could Jack Wilshere play as part of a defensive midfield duo?

Can swapping Wilshere’s role from offensive to defensive have a stabilising effect on Arsenal’s results?

Normally deployed in a more advanced role Wilshere has shown in recent games that he is capable of playing in a holding role for England, albeit against less talented players than he is used to facing in the Premier League. His ability to patrol in front of the defence and break up attacks is obvious to anyone who has seen him play, and it doesn’t restrict his use of an expansive passing game.

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Wilshere would also fit into what I have been getting on at for a while now, and that is that Arsenal need a more combative midfield due to hold the players in a decent shape. How does he compare to the player that seems to be keeping him out of that role for the time being, Aaron Ramsey?

Well using data from Squawka I’ve had a look at what the stats say.

Despite Ramsey being put in a more defensive role, and getting more consistent game time, they have very similar percentage of tackles won, Ramsey at 40% and Wilshere at 37%. Ramsey has also been guilty of more defensive errors, claiming 2 on that count with Wilshere currently registering 0 on that front.

However, according to Squawka’s defensive performance measure, Wilshere is the worst defensive player we have in the squad. Now whilst that may have something to do with the fact he has been played in a more aggressive role for the gunners than Ramsey has, there is never smoke without fire. A look at the defensive contributions show that he has contributed fewer interceptions and clearances than Ramsey, but has blocked more shots than the Welshman.

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For some reason it is almost impossible to find statistics for individual players for international matches so it’s very hard to compare the two via stats alone, which is awkward for a numbers centric man such as myself.

However anyone that has seen him play for England in the last few matches has seen how much he can control the match, even if the opposition has been less that first class. And for those that say Wilshere is better in a more forward role and his creativity is wasted, surely Ramsey is even more so? Ramsey was our goal-scoring saviour last year and pushing him forward would allow him to do just that without having to worry about being branded a “Hollywood” midfielder. I would also say that Wilshere is better at reading a game situation, and with that comes the ability to know when to push and when to hold, something that Ramsey is definitely not good at doing.

So there’s my answer to Arsenal’s midfield ‘crisis’, with Wilshere partnering Flamini in the defensive roles in midfield. I think this would allow greater balance to the side whilst also protecting the team when the going gets tough.