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Understanding Arsenal’s Gameplan For Jack Wilshere
By Josh Sippie
As Arsenal currently stand, there is not much second-guessing. Thoughts are not drifting off to “well what if Arsenal had Benzema” or similar. Funny what runs like this will do. Arsenal, in their past four games, have scored 13 goals and surrendered two. They have beaten Manchester United and Bayern Munich in the process as well. Needless to say, this is an Arsenal squad that does not need much right now.
Form like this makes supporters temporarily forget about those that are not involved in the team during the upturn as well. Take for instance Jack Wilshere. Coming into the season, few wielded more hype at Arsenal than Jack Wilshere. This was the year he would finally stay healthy. This would be the year he took that first step towards the one to two years of health that Arsene Wenger pegged as the goal.
Needless to say, it has not worked out. The still-young Englishman required another operation and he is out until December, according to the latest updates. All that after not a single appearance in the Premier League. All that from a training injury. But that is what we have come to expect from Jack Wilshere during his tenure at Arsenal.
Which raises the next question, what should we expect, and better yet, what does Arsene Wenger expect, from Jack Wilshere going forward?
It was rather curious that Arsene Wenger did not buy a defensive midfielder. Gripe all you want about how Wenger is a cheapskate and does not spend money, but if the need is there, he usually does. If he doesn’t, he has a plan. Look at Arsenal’s striker situation just a year ago.
When Arsene Wenger needed another striker, he continued to hold out. Maybe he was holding out for Theo Walcott. Maybe throughout all of training and team activities, Wenger still was not ready to make Theo Walcott a striker. Then, at the end of the year, his patience – and Walcott’s – and our’s – paid off when Walcott became the striker we had so craved. Finally, that transition appears to be paying dividends. Credit to Wenger.
Of course, he also bought Danny Welbeck. He bought Danny Welbeck knowing full well that if the did not materialize into a striker, he would still be a quality all-around footballer. That way he would not become an excess, and if he did pan out, then the versatility of all those involved would continue to benefit the team.
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That could be why Wenger is not buying a DM now. With Francis Coquelin entrenched and Santi Cazorla aging, Jack Wilshere is right where he has always been. Wenger said that it will take one to two years of health for Wilshere to turn into everyone’s fondest dream. In one to two years, Santi Cazorla will probably be moving back to Spain. It seemed like the perfect fit. Let Wilshere get healthy while not letting Arsenal get too reliant on him.
However, now the problem becomes if that was the plan. Wilshere is not healthy and in one to two years, when Cazorla is moving back to Spain and we need someone to fill his shoes, we may not have an internal option. Then we play the ever-dangerous game of ‘who’s available?’
Aaron Ramsey is a wild card in this scenario as well. He could very well be getting the ‘play right wing to appreciate central mid’ treatment. There are certainly a lot of moving parts in the Jack Wilshere/Arsenal midfield situation.
Another pertinent question is whether or not Jack Wilshere is even a viable candidate for a central, holding midfield role. To which I say “yes he is” but to which Wenger has told Wilshere “no you’re not.”
Wilshere rocks out the holding role for the English National team. He rocks it out like AC/DC. But Arsene Wenger has yet to use Wilshere in a similar role.
Here, I will draw upon yet another Wenger-ism to justify. How often do we see Wenger play people out of position? Mesut Ozil, Nacho Monreal, Calum Chambers – they have all done it. It is a frustrating thing to behold but the purpose is easy to read. It gives these guys a unique perspective of the game. It gives them multiple perspectives. That way, when they are back in their natural role, they have a better understanding of the game going on around them.
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Just look at Nacho Monreal. He benefited immensely from being shoe-horned into the center back role. And again, maybe that is what is going on with Aaron Ramsey.
Who’s to say Wenger is not doing the same with Wilshere? Injuries add another obstacle, a la the flaming hoop, but if that is the objective then it all makes sense.
Jack Wilshere has a future at Arsenal as a holding midfielder. His size is not a problem. Injuries have been the problem. His tenacity more than compensates for the size part. Remember that time he headbutted Fellaini? He did it just as well as Axel Witsel or Victor Wanyama could have. And besides, plenty of undersized guys out there have made it as defensive midfielders.
Marco Verratti does it at PSG. Look no further than our own Santi Cazorla for another example. Stature is not the issue. Injuries have been the issue. He has been forced to play in wide roles while he tries to establish some degree of consistency in health. That has not worked either.
Playing out of position, avoiding signings for internal solutions – these are things Arsene Wenger just does. It is frustrating and leads to massive fluctuations in the population of the ‘Wenger out’ camp, but it can be effective. We have seen it be effective.
And yet we may finally be approaching a time where Arsene Wenger needs to make a choice with Jack Wilshere. The injuries have not let up. If he is going to assume a high-responsibility role like he has always been destined for at the club, something has to happen with his health. He is too much of a liability. Aaron Ramsey can certainly carry his own weight and any weight that Jack Wilshere leaves behind in his most recent injury spell but even the Welshman is injury prone.
Or, we may very well be nearing a change in the midfield market mentality for Wenger. I would not at all be surprised to see a defensive midfielder be bought if Wilshere cannot overcome this latest injury. We obviously do not have a clue what goes on behind closed doors but even Jack Wilshere has to understand that the team cannot keep a huge, dynamic role at the club open for him ad infinitum. Wenger knows that too. Another option, a versatile, Danny Welbeck-type option, may be joining Arsenal before we know it.
Jack Wilshere is talented. He is immensely talented. When he is healthy, he looks fit enough to conquer the world. But those brief windows into what could be are not enough to bank on. It is still troublesome relying on Aaron Ramsey because of his injury proneness. But Jack Wilshere’s injury proneness makes Ramsey look like Santi Cazorla. Next to Francis Coquelin, Arsenal have very little at the role. That is a scary prospect. Le Coq is vital to this squad. Yet he is completely unprotected.
Hopefully Jack Wilshere can establish himself and be the world beater at Arsenal that we know he can. But it is never too early to start developing a plan B.
Next: 10 Worst Signings Under Wenger