Jack Wilshere is looking back to his best for Arsenal, although he has really only played a few games in the lesser Cup competitions so far, so much so that Arsene Wenger has recommended to Gareth Southgate that Wilshere should be back playing for England.
But now Wenger has explained why our Jack is still finding it hard to get a place in our Premier League Starting XI at the moment, despite the fans calling for the Englishman to replace the under-pressure Granit Xhaka. “In my head he’s more a player who plays higher up the pitch,” Wenger said. “I see him more as a player who can affect the game in the final third than a box-to-box player. I see him more as somebody who has a quick response, quick reactions in the final third and the quality of the pass in the final third.
“I think the new system suits him. Because for me he is in the position between wide and completely central, or in that area behind the midfield. Because he turns the game forward well, he can chip a little ball, he can pass people in the short space. That’s why I think the system suits him well. He’s a little bit in conflict in this position with Ozil and Alexis.”
That’s an interesting statement, but it shows that Wenger clearly doesn’t see Jack as a possible backup to Xhaka, but could Wilshere really replace Sanchez’s goals up front for the Gunners first team, or even Ozil’s ability to provide the killer passes to our front men? Perhaps Wenger sees him moving forward next season once either Alexis or Ozil (or both!) leave next summer?
Could Jack really be that good?
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