Jack Wilshere says it will take Emile Smith Rowe more time to develop than he needed at Arsenal because of the different players at the club.
Smith Rowe is the latest midfielder to break through at the Emirates and he has been doing great things for them.
Wilshere similarly broke through at the club in a time when they still had the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.
In a squad that had top-quality players, his talent helped him compete for a place in the team and he says playing alongside players of high quality helped him to develop fast.
Smith Rowe is playing in an Arsenal team that has less experience and he is carrying the burden of the club, alongside fellow youngster, Bukayo Saka.
Wilshere says this will slow down his development and means he would need more time to develop into a top player at the Emirates.
‘But there’s a good group of young players, which I feel is probably the best since me, Aaron Ramsey and Kieran Gibbs came through,’ Wilshere told The Athletic. ‘These players need a few years.
‘The difference is, I came into a team of world-class players and they really helped me: Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri. They were all brilliant and I could learn from them.
‘That’s why it’s going to take a bit more time because there is more responsibility on these young players.
‘I thought Emile Smith Rowe was the best player on the pitch at Brentford (in the season opener) but he’s going to take more time to develop because he hasn’t got the support system around him that I had.’
What’s Jack talking about, ESR has Xhaka as a mentor…on a much more serious note, even though this game was more novelty than , there are some positives one can realistically take from last night’s performance:
(1) a potential boost in confidence certainly can’t hurt, but at what cost to the supposed “process”…I guess that will depend upon who misses out against City as a result of playing today, like maybe Saka, and how many times will we be forced into unnecessarily using regulars when this should be utilized for it’s intended developmental purposes
(2) the fact that someone made a dummy run so that Auba finally got an open look at goal from his sweet spot, at the top left edge of the box, which we saw no more than a handful of times all last season
(3) the releasing of the handbrake, enabling us to play more directly, albeit against a “high line” we will likely never see during a League match
(4) Xhaka actually played a few vertical stretch passes from a deep-lying position
(5) Ramsdale showed a variety of options when in possession of the ball, including quick release hand passes, which we’ve sorely missed since you know who left the building
(6) Nuno occasional left his wide position and took some chances into more central areas, which seemed to cause the defence problems…Tierney has been far too static in his positioning for quite some time, although I’m sure that wasn’t up to him
(7) we actually attacked the center of the pitch with pace, which hasn’t been part of the script for the vast majority of Arteta’s tenure
unfortunately, all will be for naught if we don’t make a concerted effort to do likewise in games that matter, against actual viable opponents…of course, nothing against WestBrom, but it’s obvious that their manager has a clear vision for this season and that didn’t include fully engaging in anything that might potentially jeopardize this singular objective…kudos to him for sticking to the plan, while likewise allowing some younger players to gain some invaluable experience along the way
For once have I enjoyed plain truth. Wilshere Jack is perfectly right. Going for youth is good but who do we have as role models, no, not even one.
Don’t purchase and fill everywhere with young players in the name of project and thereby kill the spirit of our ‘Hale End Academic Stars’ who are supposed to breakthrough to first team sooner or later.
👍 Excellent point.
He is absolutely right in the article. He had Cessc and Nasri alongside him, but ESR will find the going tough and will take time. Lets be patient and allow ESR to mould into what he is capable of. BTW what a win, such a good feeling after so much negativity, a breath of fresh air and for once I think MA released the handbrakees. Hope this is the beginning of something great and as Auba rightly put it after the match, we still have 36 PL games to go so lets see. Also considering their performances, will Kola and AMN get another run with Arsenal, nice point to think. I am sure Kola would have done better than Mari against Chelsea. Anyway hoping for a new beginning from the team.
C’mon now Gunner…u can’t judge Mari against lukaku with kola against kids…. enjoyed the win to the fullest….our slow start to matches still bothers me , hope we fix dat soon cuz conceding early in matches ruins everything most times….on and upwards
Mari is just shocking, no way is he good enough
hes slower than Xhaka ffs
One thing Arsenal should learn from Jack Wilshere’s career relevant to ESR is to look after his body. Jack after flashing across the sky like a meteor of talent was played into the ground, because of constant injuries to his glass ankles. ESR has to be nurtured, while his body develops, not played every game without rest.