Arsenal: Jack Wilshere a reminder that there’s life after Mesut Ozil

Arsenal witnessed another fantastic outing for Jack Wilshere, who is kindly reminding everyone that we don’t need to be handcuffed by Mesut Ozil or Alexis.

Arsenal’s match against BATE Borisov was, in a word, exciting. There was plenty of scoring on both sides and there was plenty to keep your eyes glued to the action. Not least of all was Jack Wilshere.

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The Englishman put in another fantastic shift out there, going the full 90 and exerting an even more positive influence on the match.

While he won’t get credit for an assist on the first goal, it was all thanks to him that it occurred and had Theo Walcott put the initial chance away, it would have been one. He continued to create chances and threaten the defense throughout the course of the match.

Flashbacks of his goal against Norwich City were on repeat in my head.

It’s still too early to say that he is reliable, but that’s not the point I’m here to make. Sure, it was only BATE Borisov, but we have seen Wilshere do these exact same things against higher-tiered opposition, meaning he could do it again.

And, quite honestly, if this is what Wilshere can bring to the table consistently, then I’d prefer it over Mesut Ozil’s wizardry with the ball and his ability to find passing lanes.

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Simply put, Wilshere brings more to the table. His interplay and movement of the ball makes him so much more interesting because his job isn’t done when he has picked out a pass. He continues moving, as do his team mates around him and this is what leads to the aptly named “Wengerball.” This type of combination play is conspicuously only found – or at least most prominently found – when Wilshere is at the middle of it.

When Wilshere initiates these moves, it almost always ends with a simple tap in. If not from him, then from a team mate.

If Ozil really has no intention of extending his deal, then so be it. There are other options out there, some of which are internal, that can bring even more to the table than what the German maestro does.

This isn’t me slating Ozil, it’s just my belief that we have gotten so used to seeing Ozil out there that nothing else seems like a viable option.

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Wilshere is a viable option. Similarly, Leon Goretzka is an option. These are guys that may not have the same passing ability as Ozil, but bring their own strengths to the table that can be even more valuable that such a specific player like Ozil.