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Jack Wilshere Must Start For Arsenal Upon Return From Injury
By Josh Sippie
Jack Wilshere’s past couple years have been tough to stomach from a fan’s perspective, so it’s nearly impossible to imagine what it’s like from his angle. After being lauded as nothing short of the English-football Messiah, Wilshere has had his early career completely hijacked by repeated injuries, mainly from his ‘glass-ankle syndrome.’
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It’s hard to stay motivated and passionate about your football when you’re consistently hitting the dirt with more of the same injuries. Paranoia and worry naturally creep into the back of your mind and it becomes as much of a mental battle as a physical battle to get back in shape. If injury is lurking around every corner, it’s the mind’s natural instinct to want to hold back to try to avoid it.
It doesn’t help when fans and pundits alike are pointing fingers at you, jeering that you’re a flop and that your career is a waste, as has also been the case with Wilshere.
But to his credit, Jack Wilshere continues to come back and continues to give his all for the club that he loves. He defends himself at the podium and when fully fit, he defends himself on the field as well. No one will ever question his passion for Arsenal or for football in general, and that speaks loads about his character.
Stats recently emerged that linked Wilshere to Arsenal’s poor performances early in the season (the Daily Mail). These ‘charges,’ if you will, make me sick. To say that Wilshere is directly responsible for Arsenal’s poor win percentage early in the year is completely unfair.
The article from the Daily Mail even has the audacity to point out the true reason for the dip in form, yet the overhanging accusation is that it’s Wilshere’s fault.
During Wilshere’s time, Arsenal were in dire straits injury-wise, particularly on the defensive side of the field. Surrendering nearly two goals a game is enough to lose you most games, but to pin that on Wilshere is just a case of finding an easy scapegoat. Remember how Laurent Kocielny was hurt during that span? Yeah, let’s try blaming that instead.
Wilshere has proven what he can do. Prior to his injury, the young Englishman was in great form, earning a couple man of the match awards and headbutting Marouane Fellaini in the chest without repercussion (I’m not sure which I’m more impressed with).
Not only was he impressive for club this year, but as a deep-lying midfielder for the English National Team, Wilshere has been spot-on. While Arsene Wenger has continued to deny Wilshere’s request to play in a similar position for Arsenal, we know he’s capable of it.
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Jack Wilshere’s grit and determination make him a constant presence on the field. He has yet to commit a defensive error this season. His stamina is top-notch as his box-to-box mentality make him a threat everywhere. There are only two real knocks on his game, and that’s that he gets caught in possession and he can’t score, the former of which had seemingly been sorted out prior to his latest injury, the latter can be fixed with confidence.
Gooners worldwide should be rooting for Jack Wilshere. They know he bleeds for this team. If Arsene Wenger is smart (and we know he is), he’s going to want to get Wilshere as much confidence as possible right off the bat. Even with the form Francis Coquelin is in, I would make a bold move and put Wilshere ahead of him upon his return from injury.
He’s going to be eager to impress, and even if it takes him a few games to get back to full fitness, it will pay dividends in the end.
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