Arsenal: Surely there’s room for Jack Wilshere at the North London Derby

The North London Derby is sneaking up on us, and all I want to know is if Arsenal can find room for Jack Wilshere to face his second favorite team.

There isn’t a lot of optimism going around prior to Arsenal welcoming dearly beloved Tottenham Hotspur to the Emirates and I can’t blame people, for the most part. Spurs are four points up, which to me, in the wake of a pretty crap season, is chump change.

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But I’ll still admit that this Gunner’s squad has looked shaky at beast. When they are clicking, they are amazing, fluid, sensational. Finding that best, though, is the tricky part, as it has always been in recent years.

The key looked to be pretty simple – starting a front three of Alexandre Lacazette, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez. We haven’t seen how that would do against a top tier defense because we haven’t gotten a chance yet. But if it flows like it did against Everton, not many can stop it.

Maybe the key is just a little bit of passion, though. Something about this Arsenal club just always feels sluggish and unmotivated.

If there is anyone on this squad that will never, ever want for motivation, it is Jack Wilshere and if there is ever an opposing club that can take that motivation to the next level, it’s Tottenham Hotspur.

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Wilshere was fined during the FA Cup celebratory parade back in 2015 for exercising his right to free speech (we Americans take that very seriously).

The thing with this rendition of the North London Derby is that I don’t think a soul out there knows what sort of starting XI we are going to see. I don’t think Arsene Wenger knows either, he’ll probably draw names out of a hat.

But no matter the selection method, don’t we think it’s time for Jack Wilshere?

I know I said I want that front three to test itself against a tough defense, but I’d much rather see Mesut Ozil or Alexis, both of whom were horrendous against City, set aside so that their always-inspired team mate can get his shot.

Wenger said that the rotation of squads can change, and there could be no better time for change than this. We are struggling. Heavily. So give someone who wants to be a hero the chance to be a hero. Because, spoiler alert, Alexis and Ozil don’t want to be a hero.

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Lacazette up front, Wilshere and I don’t care who in behind, and Ramsey behind that. There is potential there, and I want to see it. Maybe we worry about Wilshere being targeted by tackles, but we can’t protect him forever.