During February 2011 in a Champions League tie against Barcelona, a young Jack Wilshere impressed with an assured display against one of the giants of European football. Arguably his finest performance in an Arsenal shirt, made more impressive due to this being his first full season. Fast forward 3 ½ years and he was at it again with a MOM performance against Manchester City…..but what about all the years in between? From English footballs next best thing to cutting a frustrated figure on and off the pitch.
The 2010/11 season was his breakthrough into the Arsenal spotlight and with lauded displays, his stock was rising and with it expectation grew for club and country. However, the following season was a sign of things to come and what has become to define Jack thus far in his career. An injury in pre-season completely white washed his 2011/12 campaign, although it may have saved Arsenal from having to fend off any bids from, at the time, likely Barcelona or Man City. The 2012/13 season gave Jack an opportunity to continue where he left off, but that and last season were dogged with niggling injuries and he was never able to sustain form due to the inconsistencies in his playing time. Aaron Ramsey is a perfect example for Wilshere that shaking off past injuries and playing consistently can lead to flourishing in the Arsenal first team. Talk of Ramsey is interesting though, as he is an ideal player for Jack to aspire to, but on the other hand is a player that could very well consign Jack to a place on the bench.
Jack produced flashes of what he can do last season as he chipped in with more goals, probably due to a decent pre-season and playing another 20+ games following on from the 12/13 campaign. But the emergence of Ramsey may somewhat have stalled Jack in making that role his own. However, another decent pre-season under his belt and a pretty good start to the campaign, even before the City game, and the highlight being the Besiktas 2nd leg in a game in which Aaron Ramsey was suspended.
The defensive midfielder position is a route which would appear unsuitable for Jack considering his attacking qualities, leaving him to possibly battle with Ramsey for a starting berth. Encouragingly thus far this season, Jack has performed in the absence of Ramsey and alongside him, perhaps answering questions that they do not need to battle for a single spot and can both be incorporated into the current Arsenal setup. Either way it is undoubtedly a big season for Wilshire and all eyes and opinions will be on him. Arsenal fans can only hope he's released from the injury shackles that have plagued him and flourish in what is becoming a very exciting team.