Jack Wilshere has revealed that he had no idea how well he had played against Barcelona in that famous Arsenal performance, prompting us to relive the experience.
The midfielder currently plies his trade for West Ham after growing frustrated with the direction his career had been going in, following a string of injury setbacks which limited his game time season after season.
Despite no longer being contracted to the club, Wilshere is still held in high regard at the Emirates, and was interviewed by Arsenal FC this weekend.
The 28 year-old has revealed that he had no idea how well he had performed against Barcelona in that famous 2-1 win in 2011, where he was named Man of the Match.
“To be honest, I didn’t even think I was [playing that well],” Wilshere revealed. “I thought I was doing alright. When we got to half-time, I had done a few good things in the first half but I felt like they had dominated.
“They had a way of making you feel like you were running around in circles for no reason. They used to make these little passes in midfield and you didn’t know whether to press or to hold back and wait for them.
“It wasn’t until after the game actually [that I realised how well I’d played]. It was Paul Akers, the kit man, who was like, ‘You just had Xavi and Iniesta in your pocket’. I said, ‘no chance’ and he was like, ‘I’m telling you’. Then I got man of the match.
“It’s difficult when you’re in a game to know how well you played and what people are thinking of games.
“It wasn’t until a couple of times in the game where I had beaten a midfielder where I thought, ‘Okay, right, if I can beat that first man you get a little bit of time to get your head up and make a forward pass’. I remember thinking, ‘Right, just beat the first press and you’ll be alright’.
“Over the next few days I remember Nasri saying to me after the game, ‘You need to stay at this level now, you’ve just gone up a couple of levels, this needs to be your level, week in, week out’. It’s alright everyone else saying it, but when it comes from your team-mates, the people who see you every day, it meant more.”
Check out the performance below.
Should Arsenal have tried to convince him to stay at the club? What are your other memories of Wilshere at Arsenal?
Patrick
