The Talented Mr. Wilshere
There is a truth near-wholly acknowledged among football watchers that players below a certain age, or a certain number of first team appearances (the exact numbers remain vague) are allowed a certain level of leeway with regard to the shortcomings in their game. It’s only fair. The underlying idea behind this is that being young, inexperienced, or both, they will eventually grow out of their flaws and learn from their past mistakes. It’s often a slow, but worthwhile, and most crucially visible process. It rarely happens particularly quickly but in observing many young players over time, it’s easy to see them steadily ironing out some of the more negative and inhibiting facets of their play.
Arsenal, like most teams, are heavily reliant on a well-functioning midfield. Between early March and late December 2013, they had put together their best midfield setup since Cesc Fàbregas’ departure in 2011. The key to it all was, and is, Aaron Ramsey, preferably and most often partnered by Mikel Arteta in the deep midfield pairing. They allow Arsenal to become something they had not been since Sol Campbell left: a team comfortable without the ball, perhaps more so than with it. It took Mesut Özil’s signing for attacking cogency to be added to the improved defensive play, and with a midfield in perfect working order, the team was thriving and they sat atop the league.
Ramsey’s goals were the first reference point for praise but far more important for Arsenal, in both defence and attack, are his remarkable engine and exceptional intelligence on the pitch. His movement in and around the box has always been impressive but more than where he goes, it’s about when he commits forward or remains back. Arsenal don’t get caught on the break when Ramsey is playing alongside Arteta, even when he sits significantly further up the pitch than his midfield partner. They barely concede goals with him there, and score plenty.
Under Liverpool’s heavy pressing in the game last weekend, Arsenal looked lost in a way they have not done since the home first leg against Bayern Munich last season, despite having met heavier and more efficient pressers than Brendan Rodgers’ side since. There was a struggle in the first half an hour of the home match against Borussia Dortmund, but once they found their feet, they were fine against it. Under heavy pressing, the players being attacked need simple passing options close to them. When Ramsey’s there, they have options, even if they aren’t Ramsey himself. Without him… well, Saturday happened.
Arsenal’s midfield shape against Liverpool was one not seen since before that Bayern game. That midfield shape was the main cause of some of the more disastrous defending of last season. The primary reason for that, in the most part, was Jack Wilshere, his errant positioning and love for an aimless roam up the pitch, with little intention of returning to his station. Arsenal with a disjointed midfield makes for Arsenal with a leaky defence, and Arsenal with an unfit-for-purpose forward line.
On Saturday, it was the exact same issues as last season. Wilshere sat and pushed far too high, Arteta struggled to make up the ground, the opposition had vast gaps to exploit and an exposed defence to attack. The fullbacks struggled, just as they did through a lot of last season, as they had no passing option on account of Arteta’s having to cover the position of two players 10 yards away from where he would ideally be, because who knows where Wilshere was. From there, it was easier for Liverpool to double up on both fullbacks and draw the two centre backs out of position.
Arteta came in for more criticism than Wilshere immediately following the game – mostly jibes about his mobility and struggles against Liverpool’s pace. Arteta isn’t perfect: he is slow and lacking the engine of the ‘top level’ defensive midfielders, and he has been known to play a little over-cautiously on the ball. He is a player who needs protecting and a bit of help, but with it he provides a valuable service which no other in the squad can do as well. Ramsey gives that help. Wilshere does not.
With Wilshere partnered by Mathieu Flamini, Arsenal lose a lot of their edge on the ball in midfield because they have one who is fairly average with the ball at his feet and another who, although far less limited, does not do enough practical and useful with it. In many games, that will not be the biggest of issues because even though they lose something without the first choice pair, most teams do not have enough to counterbalance that. But Bayern certainly do.
Ramsey makes up for some of that which is lost technically with Flamini over Arteta with his own smarter positioning and use of the ball. The greatest worry is that the issues with Wilshere are the same ones as last year. They are not technical limitations. He is an extraordinarily gifted player, but he does not appear to be learning from his mistakes. A year later and every problem that was prevalent then remains.
It is the case in so many areas. His lack of regard for defending is, of course, the standout. Beyond that, he still is not particularly adept at making himself available to receive the ball. He still holds onto the ball far too long in attacking areas. He still keeps dribbling until he gets fouled, tackled or forced into a move-killing sideways ball rather than play the earlier passes. His end product has shown improvement but it isn’t worth playing him in a central position where he damages the team’s setup for maybe 5-10 extra goals and assists each season.
Saturday, after half an hour and only the four conceded, marked the return of ‘Wilshere vs. The World’, while his teammates around him show themselves to be unworthy of the passion and drive he brings. Never mind that he was a major reason why the rest had played so poorly and he had no plans to help them out while he was on or off the ball. Another who specialises in such performances, especially this season, is Wayne Rooney. They have spent the game playing to their team’s detriment but ran forward with the ball a lot in the final third. To little end.
Wilshere’s best position in this team is on the right wing. There, he has permission to drift inside and aid Arsenal’s quicker one and two-touch play closer to the box, where he is highly skilled; there is scope for him to harness his fantastic dribbling and he is less damaging to the team’s overall shape. He can exist comfortably as something of a luxury while hopefully reaping the benefits of greater game time. In fairness to Wilshere; he needs a run of games.
But that is the issue. His goal and assist numbers are the best they’ve ever been, but beyond ever so slightly more productivity from deep midfield (most of the goals or assists have come from him playing the advanced roles), he does not appear to have learned much, if anything for the central roles. Upon returning to the middle, it’s the same as the shambles that was the first two thirds of last season.
Given the comparison with current Ramsey has been so pronounced, it makes sense to compare him to Ramsey in the time following his injury, given that is the stage Wilshere is in now. It took a while for Ramsey to recover his best self, but what was habitually visible was his constant work for the team and movement in front of goal and to receive the ball in midfield, which is not the case with Wilshere. The England International’s issues mainly emanate from a seeming unwillingness to actually use his brain. Slow progress is to be expected and understood, but that there has been so very little is deeply concerning.
Ramsey had similar problems with being slow to release the ball and often losing it, but he has always had an altruism and intelligence on the pitch that Wilshere never has. Wilshere, at the moment, is an individual around whom the team has to mould itself. The problem for Wilshere at this point is that Arsenal have better players to build around and he simply does not yet give nearly enough to warrant being the centre of all things.
For now, that leaves Wilshere in a purgatorial state. Either he becomes the team’s man or… who knows? Time is on Wilshere’s side. There are no questions about his ability. My hope at the start of this season was that he would shed the ‘Star Player Syndrome’ with the signing of Özil and Ramsey’s rise, but the signs have not been particularly encouraging. Wilshere is his own main obstacle, but we are at the point now where it is fair to worry whether or not it is an obstacle he will overcome.
Terrible article. And this is not me hating or anything. Please watch the game again.
clearly you haven’t watched the games recently. Just watch wilshere while he plays. If you put a tracker on him and marked where he went on the pitch, he would be painting big lazy circles. Anytime he does do his famous “drives” forward, he is always caught out afterward. Unlike Ramsey, he doesn’t sprint back. its a light jog. He doesn’t show for the ball well, and seems to not understand basic spacing with Arteta when looking to receive the ball from the center backs and build (he also seems unable to accept a quick pass backwards is sometimes more effective to going forwards than turning into someone every time). We all love him, his talent, his drive, his love for the game, but right now its getting in the way. I have this moment burned into my mind from the man u game this week where instead of playing a quick square ball to switch the field and relieve the pressure, he held onto the ball, then proceded to try and dribble out of trouble when three players swarmed him. He lost it, but the ball was actually knocked to an Arsenal player, who was looking forward with passing options while the three man united midfielders were all caught trying to transition to offense. Perfect moment to attack. Only Wilshere, clearly frustrated, had body checked the man u player who take the ball off him (clearly on purpose – he knew what he was doing). Foul and going the other way. He lost the ball so much, look knackered by the end (I dont know why Wenger didn’t substitute him – or others for that matter), so much so that he was literally often just standing square to Arteta, not offering any movement or hardly an outlet to pass when we had the ball. I think he needs some time on the bench to first of all give him rest, second of all get his head on straight and let him learn, and then finally to remind him you can’t be the center of the team at Arsenal – It’s not the arsenal way.
Agree with everything up to Wilshere versus the world then everything after that was too negative and wrong. He wasnt the main one for saturdays defeat either. He was only person who tried to get the team going in the first half. I went to the game and saw. Arteta half heartedly tried to rally the boys…. maybe his style… wilshere was only one trying to get them going
It’s good he tried to ‘raise spirits’ and ‘add some drive’ but if he’d done that without abandoning his actual position we probably wouldn’t have conceded another three goals after the first two set pieces.
I think you miss the point. What has Arsenal done well this year? Defended resolutely then built from there. I think Arteta had the right idea: Let’s settle down, tighten up at the back (even if it means concede posession) stop giving them chances, and then build from there. In the past few years its Arsenal’s open style that has led to occassional slaughterings and collapses. This year we’ve been tight at the back, built from there, and then struck mostly in the second half. Wilshere was just making things worse by trying to haul us back into the game by flying forward. Too often it was with disregard for defense, and while I will not fault his effort or passion, he’s just not intelligent with situations and when certain things are appropriate.
This is something that needed to be said, and you said it well. I want Wilshere to succeed at Arsenal, but he’s incredibly frustrating at the moment. He’s gifted enough to develop into an excellent player, but won’t unless he engages his brain.
I’m happy to be patient with young players making mistakes, or losing their head, providing they learn from them and gradually eliminate them from their game.
But Wilshere is repeating the same mistakes and isn’t learning from them. In every single big match where things aren’t going Arsenal’s way, he has flipped out and pulled this Alpha Male poseur routine, with the possible exception of Bayern at home. The only defence of his Scrappy Doo shenanigans include the words we all deride ‘Arry and the Sherwood apologists for valuing.
Cheers. And exactly that. And even despite that ‘drive’ and ‘passion’ that people are so fond of mentioning, how much of it actually leads to anything? Very little because of his wastefulness with the ball. It’s exhausting.
Dude is playing out of position. Try judging Sagna on his striking abilities while you’re at it.
I will NEVER find fault for Jacks heart and desire to rally the troops. Leadership makes a huge difference, especially when thousands of people are screaming at you.
Think of all the games – especially the bigger games – when Jack’s ‘leadership’ and ‘heart’ have won us the game. Or that we’ve actually won. Compare them to the games with Ramsey, or more specifically Ramsey-Arteta in midfield. And there’s little evidence to show Jack rallies anyone but himself.
fine points, but overstated. I think you are right on many accounts, but the Rooney comparison is off as Rooney has more assists than Ozil and is second in the league behind Suarez. Rooney has also scored 9 goals. He in short because of RVP being injured and the many squad issues at Man U has had to try and carry them. Sure, Man U has struggled so that is not an argument for Wayne Rooney. It is not all down to Rooney, just like it is not all down to Jack. Rooney has been the one bright spot in Man U’s play in practically every game I have watched of them. I am not here to defend Wayne Rooney, I don’t care about Wayne Rooney. Your comparison of him to represent Jack’s problems is just flat wrong in my opinion.
I also contest the all or nothing language in describing Jack’s problems. You seem to think that it is all down to Jack and even use Arteta as the person receiving the criticism when it is Jack’s fault. Fair play, but I think all of them should be receiving the criticism for Liverpool. Not just Ozil and not just Jack. All of them. An article like this could be written about all of them after that performance.
Back to Jack. I agree his positional sense is off and that right now he is best as a replacement of Theo out on the left. That said, Jack would be great with a true defensive midfielder who would cover ground and destroy moments behind him. Naturally Jack is a roamer, so the question is not just down to Jack, the question is down to personnel and balance on the field.
The problem with Jack v Ramsey is that they are more different than people think. Ramsey is more disciplined and runs more. Jack is more creative when he does run and is a roamer as you say. The problem is we do not have any player in our squad, not one, that will sit behind Jack and in front of Mertscielny so Jack can become Jack. This is not to give Jack a pass. We just don’t have anyone, we need a protector. Or we need to recognize that we would rather have a double pivot like Ramsey and Arteta. Jack however is not that player and I do not think he ever will be. It is not always about a boy not learning, his nature is different. He can certainly grow and curtail his nature a bit but he will always express himself in the game differently than Aaron and that is ok if you put the right person around him. This is also why he is better further up field for now.
Let me paint a picture as to how this looks. Barca in their day had Busquets passing the life out of teams as a metronome (arteta) but destroying moments on the field (DM). Iniesa was like Jack, he roamed, he dribbled, he cause problems as a creative first attacker. Xavi ran the show and he is Aaron. That Barca team had the right blend. With the signing of Ozil the ONLY way we will have the right blend with Jack and Aaron on the same team is Aaron becoming Arteta. It would work because Aaron is more mobile and tackles more. He is an all action player. He would have to curb his attacking instincts, but it would work. The question is if we want him to curb his attacking instincts though. If the answer is no, Jack wont fit as first choice and will be part of the rotation because one thing your article points out without directly saying, the “balance” is wrong when Jack is in the middle.
That is my take, very good thought provoking article. I agree with the premise, just don’t agree with the finer points and wanted to go into “why” we are seeing this. Just my take…
Rooney shines, others don’t. The latter happens because of the former. Rooney is a far worse case than Jack because he’s a poison on and off the pitch who actively makes most of his team-mates worse or less effective, where Jack is just irresponsible and has a tendency to lose his head. Rooney is having a good numbers season, but no goals or assists since Boxing Day, only three goals+assist vs current top half teams – a corner vs us in the November game and two goals vs Spurs. And I’m sure most of those assists (and a few goals) are from set pieces as it is, though couldn’t give you exact numbers.
There’s a valid case for that if this were just an article about the Liverpool game, but it’s about over a year of football now. The Liverpool game was essentially just a reminder. Agree an Arteta upgrade, one more capable of covering ground along with the clever use of the ball would do a lot of good for the team while Jack is in deep midfield. But it won’t make Jack’s own use of the ball any smarter.
Is Jack really more creative? Ramsey’s creativity is underrated. Flamini? You lose a fair bit technically but he’s good at covering ground and is your destroyer figure. Jack and Aaron have different strengths, but Aaron’s enable the team to be better and Jack’s just don’t.
Aaron is one of the best young box-to-box midfielders in the world. His defensive work comes mostly high up the pitch because he presses so well. If either is going to have to learn to sit and become more of an Arteta figure, it’s Jack. You lose his dribbling but his dribbling is ineffective as it is. He’s a lovely passer, and would only improve in such a role, but it’s 2/3 years minimum away from being possible. Using Ramsey so deep would be a real waste.
I am not part of any anti-Wilshere bandwagon but I do agree with the Wilshere/Rooney comparison. Both have a tendency to get caught up in themselves and they both spend way too much energy complaining to the ref. When Jack is tackled, fairly or not, he sits on his ass way too long,leaving the team shorthanded.
On the other hand, sometimes his willingness to run at the defense is a welcome relief when Arsenal get into a rut of passing around the box with no penetration.
i enjoyed reading very interesting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Really insightful article. The question of what to do with Wilshere has been an ongoing issue at Arsenal. I’ve long thought that the deeper midfield position is the best for him at the moment, since he’s not good enough in tight spaces to play the number 10, and his dribbles from deep are good at opening up opportunities. But his lack of defensive contribution of late has been alarming and far from good enough in that role, particularly when compared to the über-productive Ramsey.
Once hailed as the future of the Arsenal and England midfield, he is now looking like a Jack-of-all-trades but master of none; he has played left, right, in deep and attacking roles, but in each position there is always a player who offers more than him. Having someone like that is great for Arsenal’s depth, but he was meant to be so much more.
With his talent, he should be more than a glorified utility player, but that’s all he’s earned. Like you say, there’s someone more effective in every position. I do actually hold some hope for him at #10 long term, that’s one where you can see him very steadily learning what’s needed, but it’s another that will take some time to really work and with Özil, Santi and Rosicky, he’s the fourth best #10 at the club. And I’m probably forgetting someone.
I don’t think he’s been properly fit to play since the second operation he had at the end of last season. Never looked as comfortable on the ball since that, and that affects his decision making, and confidence, as well as his success in executing the technical side of the game, ie not passing early because he needs to steady himself to get the pass right, or also because he doesn’t have the confidence to play it quickly. You mentioned cesc leaving in 2011, we also haven’t seen the wilshere of that year. His fitness problems have rendered him incapable of playing and passing at the speed he used to, and it has nothing to do with his intelligence. It’s all well and good talking about youngsters getting leeway, but wilshere is a special case who was well ahead of other youngsters his age, his problems with fitness are what have derailed him, naivety and inexperienced are things that may compound matters, but aren’t the root of his problem. It’s also a bit unfair to blame everything on him, this team has a lot of faults, and they aren’t all caused by wilshere. It’s not his fault some of our players aren’t very good.
An interesting point about his co-ordination, one I’ll look out for. Bit his fitness problems aren’t the reason he stands 10-20 yards higher up than he needs to.
In the example of Arteta for ‘it’s not [Jack's] fault some of our players aren’t very good’, he works great next to Ramsey, Chamberlain and really well with Flamini on the weekend. The only one he struggles with is Jack. And somehow that’s Arteta’s fault.
I love Jack and want him to do well. But he does take too long on the ball and ends up getting tackled every time. He then rolls around holding his ankle whilst we hold our breath. Plus he needs to train to use his right foot occasionally. Some of that delay to release the ball is the fixation to pass with his left foot.
Your comments in general are to refute but I think perhaps we are trying to hard to flog him for errors that others seem to also to fail in. The lad has been in and out with injury, this will of course IMHO once he has regular game tie. When England played Brazil he showed what a talent he is, and one we are lucky to have. The fantastic goal that left us all with eyes melting; finally the amount of goals he has scored for us this season. He wants to do his best all the time, lets just give him the time. The same cries went on and on about other players we have had; a glaring one was RVP who many said we should have sold ages ago. No matter what anyone thinks I would love him to be playing for us now. He is being kicked on the ground should we not relax a little and perhaps not kick him now?
Perhaps something of a false comparison given Jack’s played in plenty of positions but he’s started the same number of league games as Ramsey this year. He’s only scored 5 for us this year. What same cries about Van Persie were there? People said we should sell because he’s too injury prone. I’ve neither said we should sell him nor that he’s too injury prone.
Spot on commentary. I’m in full agreement, but would add that after watching the ManU match, Wilshire also needs to stop showing the ball so much by insisting on using his left foot, regardless of where the pass is coming from our where the defender is.
I think it is totally unfair to single out Wilshire. The only person not learning from his mistakes is Wenger. He constantly refuses to plan for the opposition or alter our one-dimensional tactics. He certainly hasn’t learnt anything from the City debacle. He refuses to buy the right players for the positions needed (Özil is a great player but not the player we needed), he refuses to use Poldolski even though he has proved he can score goals, he refuses to play Wilshire in the right position as you point out yourself. Etc. God help us when Bayern come to town…
Özil is exactly what we needed. Podolski can score goals when you hand him the ball in the area but most teams can read his predictable movement. He usually scores against poor teams. If you can’t see that we have altered our tactics for quite a few games this year, or that we needed creativity above all else this summer, then I wonder what games you’re actually watching.
I’ll start by saying I like this kind of analysis, rather than just saying this player was shit you’ve looked at why. It doesn’t work when you don’t know the whole picture however.
one of your criticisms of Jack is that he wanders off aimlessly of his own accord. This is incorrect. “The teams close us down so much high up because they know we play through the middle. I push my midfielders a bit up at the start to give us more room to build up the game. When you come to the ball we are always under pressure. I am comfortable with that, although sometimes it leaves us open in the middle of the park. We want to play in the other half of the pitch and, therefore, we have to push our opponents back. But my philosophy is not to be in trouble, but to fool the opponent into trouble.” -AW
Another point made is that Ramsey doesn’t do this. He does. He’s been made out to be the answer to all of our problems this past week or so and while he will certainly improve us he’s not going to turn a 5-1 loss into a victory. He was on the pitch at the Etihad and we were getting caught on the ball deep then too. It’s the responsibility of the player On the ball to ask and offload it under pressure. Nobody to pass to is not an excuse to give it away.
I think the RVP chance in the 2nd minute illustrates this perfectly. It was no fault of Jack’s that Ateta asked for the ball, was given it and then lost it on the edge of our box.
Jack is suffering from the same loss of confidence Aaron was after a long injury layoff. He’ll get back to his best and at least he’s still trying the things that earned him his reputation as one of our best players. Receiving the ball under pressure and carrying it past players.
Thank you for the read though.
I said in the article – Ramsey sits very high up the pitch in a lot of games and we’re not open. He does it with intelligence. ‘He was on the pitch’; so was Wilshere. And Wilshere lost the ball a hell of a lot more than Ramsey did. When is Wilshere going to turn a 1-5 deficit into a victory? Wilshere makes a 0-2 deficit into a 0-5 one because he galavants off up the pitch at every turn. Moving Jack into the middle against City at 4-2 was what ended the game. That specific one is on Arsène as much as Jack.
The player on the ball has to have someone to give it to. Otherwise they’re passing to no one or a player in a bad area. That’s just idiocy.
What about their chance in the 92nd minute where Wilshere was pressed and lost the ball far too easily? No mention of that? Not one? Really? Makes me think.