Arsenal vs Watford: Ignoring Jack Wilshere becoming risky

Arsenal have plenty of options up front, but to not include Jack Wilshere in the mix is to put an unnecessary risk on the club’s future.

Arsenal’s defense is a problem in that all the best options are hurt. On the other side of things, their attack is a problem in that everyone is healthy and no one can agree on who the best options are.

Watford will be the first time in who knows how long that there are legitimately four viable options to choose from (I haven’t included Alex Iwobi) for the two slots behind Alexandre Lacazette.

Danny Welbeck is back healthy and, as the second highest scorer on the team despite the injury layoff, you would think that he has to be out there. No questions asked. His work rate, strength and undying effort make him the perfect player to keep the Gunners surge of hunger going strong.

Alexis Sanchez is available and, despite his questionable team spirit, his impact has been plain to see. He is still immensely talented and putting an ambitious Welbeck next to him may make him even more useful.

Mesut Ozil is back to full health after his phantom injury – which many assumed was just a benching – but you have to wonder just how useful he can be compared to the other options here. Wouldn’t it be blatant favoritism if he started.

Then there is Jack Wilshere. Only now back to full health and full fitness, the Englishman needs to be in this conversation immediately. He has been used in midweek fixtures to great effect, but at what point does that become too little?

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Wilshere is too talented to be forced into rotational roles and Arsene Wenger has stated yet again that he agrees with this. The need for effort-driven, Arsenal-centric players like him is obvious – the more that take the pitch, the better the club plays. Funny how that works.

If it was up to me, I’d start Wilshere and Welbeck. At least then you cannot deny the want and desire to be out there and to win the game.

Plus, not just that, but Wilshere deserves this. I don’t buy all the rubbish stories about him wanting to leave. But if you keep shoving him out of the way for two guys that don’t even want to be here, those stories are going to become reality.

Wilshere knows his own worth and he knows how much he loves the club and I reckon he also knows how ineffective Ozil has been at everything not called chance creation and also how much Alexis wants to leave.

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Any opportunity not handed to Wilshere now is inexcusable and risky. He is ready and we should be too.

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