Arsenal: Jack Wilshere’s point meant more last year than it does now

Jack Wilshere had his chance to prove himself for Arsenal. He didn’t take it. So no, there’s nothing scary about going up against him.

It’s always going to be weird seeing Jack Wilshere in any shirt other than an Arsenal one. That includes the West Ham shirt that he is currently wearing. And, by the sounds of it, Wilshere hasn’t gotten over it yet either.

The Englishman has issued a warning to Unai Emery, saying that he is intent on proving the new manager wrong for ending Wilshere’s career in North London and letting him drift off to the Hammers.

I’m not sure I understand Wilshere’s logic here, nor do I fear the threat buried within. It sounds as though he’s not too happy about what happened, but in the end, he doesn’t have anyone to blame but himself.

Last year, Wilshere had the chance to prove something that actually mattered – that he could be trusted in the first team as a regular and consistently contribute to their successes. He was given more starts than he had had in quite some time and in the end, he wasn’t good enough. He had flashes of brilliance, as Wilshere often did, but he didn’t look himself. He didn’t look dynamic enough.

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And so, he was let go. He we let free to pursue his craft elsewhere.

Why he wants to make a point of proving to Unai Emery that he was wrong when he could have just proven to Emery that he was worth it by making a point to do so last year seems a bit backwards to me.

Maybe being actually let go by his lifelong club woke him up. Maybe it helped him realize that he hadn’t been his best self, and now he is intent on bringing his best self back into the spotlight. That I can understand. But I wouldn’t understand how he would have gotten so complacent in the first place. He had to fight tooth and nail for every minute, against his teammates and against his own body.

That is the kind of environment that can usually keep you at your best. But maybe he was just too worn down and disheartened to retain the same level of performance we expected out of him.

Whatever the case, if he couldn’t prove it last year, over an entire season, with a dynamite supporting cast, I don’t know why he would be able to prove it now, with West Ham. I guess I shouldn’t tempt fate though.