Wilshere faces fight to fulfil golden promise for England and Arsenal
The competition for those two places will be with Aaron Ramsey, Mathieu
Flamini and, once he has recovered from injury, Mikel Arteta.
Tomas Rosicky, whose thigh strain is almost certain to rule him out of the
match against Sunderland on Saturday, and even Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will
also come into consideration.
All things being equal, Wilshere is still likely to start alongside Ramsey who
has been, by some distance, Arsenal’s best player this season.
Arteta, though, has been just about the first name on Wenger’s team-sheet
since he signed from Everton two years ago. Flamini also looked the part
during his substitute appearance against Tottenham, even if he was fortunate
not to be sent off. It all adds up to a legitimate debate over whether
Arsenal’s midfield is more balanced with or without Wilshere in the team.
To be hypercritical – and Wilshere clearly has a myriad of great qualities –
there is a theory that he sometimes dwells on the ball for just too long
and, in consequence, can slow down the pace of the game.
It was certainly noticeable during the goalless draw against Ukraine on
Tuesday that he struggled against the high-tempo pressing game of Taras
Stepanenko and Edmar Halovskiy.
He spent much of the match on the floor after being jostled off the ball but
it was at least encouraging to hear him embrace the learning experience.
“It was my biggest international game, my first big one away so it was a
hostile atmosphere,” Wilshere said.
“It was good for me. I had a lot of experience around me and they helped me.
You can’t just give that to anyone. It comes over time.” His lack of
experience was not the only mitigating factor.
Both Hodgson and Wenger agree that Wilshere is still not fully match fit
following his latest ankle injury and he has only completed the full 90
minutes four times since the end of February.
It has left him working to break out of a vicious circle. Wilshere needs match
fitness but, after two operations, Wenger clearly still has concerns about
his recovery.
“I don’t want to make a mistake and overuse him because the ankle is the most
important part of any football player,” Wenger said.
“I would be more cautious with Jack until we feel he is completely free from
any risk.”
Wenger will also be well aware that Arsenal have coped when he has not been
available, notably during last season’s highly pressurised run-in.
If Wilshere wants to look anywhere for inspiration, it is across Arsenal’s
central midfield to Ramsey. He suffered his leg-breaking tackle in 2010 – 18
months before Wilshere’s first stress fracture – and is only now realising
his full potential.
Wilshere’s situation is compounded by the fact that he actually endured much
longer on the sidelines – a total of 17 months – than Ramsey did with his
injury. He is also still only 21.
There is plenty of time to realise his potential and prove that comparisons
with Paul Gascoigne, Xavi and Andres Iniesta were not hollow hyperbole.
He was, after all, good enough at the age of just 19 to be the man of the
match in a 2-1 win against Barcelona in 2011. He was also England’s best
player when they beat Brazil in February.
The bottom line is that Wilshere needs patience. Even so, the assumption that
he will automatically realise his supposed destiny as an all-time Arsenal
and England great should no longer be taken for granted.