Arsenal: Jack Wilshere stars in new role as a sidekick

Arsenal had a lot of standout players against Atletico Madrid, despite the frustrating result, and while Jack Wilshere wasn’t the best, he was something else.

There were so many things to watch for against Atletico Madrid, and so many things that ended up happening, that you may have missed out on Jack Wilshere‘s latest attempt to rise to the forefront of the Arsenal consciousness.

Normally, that would seem like a bad thing, as Wilshere has that superstar mentality and he has always seemingly been destined for a starring role on this pitch whenever he puts on that red and white shirt.

Lately, however, he has struggled, and he has allowed his frustrations to drive him further into the ground, as he has been poor with possession and sub-par in nearly every facet of the game. It has looked like desperation.

Against Atletico Madrid, it was a different Wilshere. It was almost like a harnessed Wilshere. He was not a huge presence on the game. He picked his involvement carefully and didn’t overstretch himself, or try to force himself onto proceedings.

He did what was asked of him when it was asked, and let guys like Granit Xhaka, Mesut Ozil and the fullbacks run the show.

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In the one huge moment when he was called upon, he delivered the key assist to the Gunners goal. And then he faded again, doing good, hard work, but not so much that many were bedazzled by his displays.

In the end, it was toned down, maybe a reset of sorts, but it was positive. And right now, that’s all we need from him.

For starters, he did not lose the ball a single time, not even to a poor touch. He completed 90% of his passes. Yet he was just seventh on the team in touches on the ball.

It was almost like Wilshere, who has long been an Arsenal superhero, assumed the role of a sidekick and made the absolute most of it. There was talk, during his injury woes, of whether or not Wilshere should tone it down, to keep himself safe from injury (which probably wouldn’t have worked in that regard).

I wonder now, though, if this isn’t what he would have become. Still a prominent, dangerous component, but not someone who has to feel like he should be shaping the world with every touch of the ball.

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This is an interesting launching point to see where Wilshere goes from here. He lived in the moment and didn’t make more of what it already was and as much as that doesn’t sound like Wilshere, it worked.

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