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Jack Wilshere Will Indeed Play a Big Part in Arsenal’s Final Stretch
By Josh Sippie
Jack Wilshere has had another season that he’d no doubt like to toss out and start over. The young bulldog had a great start to the season. An assist in the FA Community Shield later followed by an absolutely astounding game against Manchester City where he netted a goal and an assist kicked off what was sure to be his turning-point year. Then there was the embarrassment against Borussia Dortmund that saw the young midfielder as one of the only Gunners who visibly wanted to play.
And finally, my favorite Jack Wilshere moment of all time, when he headbutted Marouane Fellaini – in the chest – and got no punishment.
Reminds me of a warthog fighting an ostrich.
But anyway, the point is that Jack was back and better than ever, he was leaving it all on the pitch and the results were starting to line up in his favor. However, shortly after his immaculate moment against the afro-wielding Belgian, Wilshere was stricken with another ankle injury.
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And in the mean time, Francis Coquelin turned into the battle-hardened, broken-nosed, no-nonsense-taking enforcer he is today.
But now, after some setbacks and procedures, Jack Wilshere is ready to come back and make his impact on an Arsenal season that has completely turned around since the last time he saw the pitch. The midfield of the Gunners boasts the likes of Coquelin, the ever-present Aaron Ramsey, the maestro Mesut Ozil, the mastermind Alexis Sanchez, the other maestro Santi Cazorla, and whoever the hell else Arsene Wenger feels like throwing into the mix – because everything works.
And that’s why this is a good time for Jack Wilshere to return to action.
Finding playing time won’t be as tough as you’d think. With Arsenal still fighting to retain the FA cup and the end of the season nipping at our heels, the Prof is going to need fresh and creative legs to keep things… well, fresh and creative. But it’ll be a rotation, not a full on firehouse change.
Wilshere recently played a full 90 minutes in Arsenal U21’s stomping of Stoke City and he let his confidence show in an interview with Arsenal.com:
“You can train as much as you like but you can’t get that match fitness unless you play. In the Premier League you know how quick it is so you have to get back to that speed. I feel like I’m ready to play some part. When you’re injured you look at your comeback date and the games around that time.”
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And when Wilshere started looking at the games he wanted to feature in, one of the two that caught his eye was the remaining match the Gunners have against Manchester United, the home of the Belgian he’d like to face up against yet again: “The one that stands out is the FA Cup semi-final but even before that we’ve got big games and we’ve got to go to Man United as well so there’s a chance to play this season.”
Jack Wilshere will be able to take the pitch alongside a Mesut Ozil who is just begging to give people goals and alongside an Olivier Giroud who is just begging to give people assists. All Wilshere has to do is exactly what he had been doing at the beginning to the year: holding onto the ball better and finding space. From there, anyone can score goals, even Hector Bellerin.
The 23 year old can use this final stretch to build some serious confidence going into next season. It’s not easy to keep picking oneself up after continuous injuries, but if I have faith in anyone to do it, it’s Jack Wilshere.
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