Jack Wilshere’s mouth has been getting him into a lot of trouble recently. Either he’s earning Arsene Wenger’s ire by putting a cigarette in it, or he’s cultivating controversy with the viewpoints he’s put across to the Press.
In all honesty, the who ‘Jack Wilshere smoking affair’ hardly seems worth talking about. The English midfielder has claimed he’s not a smoker and if that’s genuinely the case, then it’s time to stub this story out.
But Jack Wilshere’s views on the English team are worth discussing.
Here’s the quotes that were carried a number of different sources:
“For me, if you are English, you are English and you play for England. The only people who should play for England are English people.”
“If you live in England for five years, it doesn’t make you English. You shouldn’t play. It doesn’t mean you can play for a country. If I went to Spain and lived there for five years, I am not going to play for Spain. We have to remember what we are.”
He also talked about how English players were tough tacklers and hard to beat, whilst Spanish players are technically gifted. Whilst this is usually true, it’s very reductive to suggest that this is ‘what we are’, as a nation and as a football team.
England desperately need to add some technical ability to their team. They need somebody with the passing ability of Xavi, or the attacking threat of Cristiano Ronaldo. Because of the belief that English players need to be competitive, physical creatures, more dynamic talents tend to get pushed out of the set-up at a young age.
Take for instance, Will Hughes, a young English, Derby County star whose idols are Andres Iniesta and Xavi. He looks like a fantastic young player, but will he find a place within this England side?
If England are to progress as a footballing nation, ‘the Jack Wilshere attitude’ needs to be eradicated sharpish. England need to follow the precedents set within club football, by top teams like Barcelona, Manchester United, Arsenal and more.
As for whether only English players should play for England, that opens a whole bag of complexities that I’m not really interested in delving into them here. Suffice to say, nationality should be treated as a fluid notion. Each case should be judged on it’s own individual merits.
Interestingly enough, South African born, England cricketer, Kevin Pietersen through his cap in the ring, with the following Tweet: “Interested to know how you define foreigner…? Would that include me, Strauss, Trott, Prior, Justin Rose, Froome, Mo Farah?”
You’ll quickly have noted that these are all English sporting heroes. If other sports find it so easy, why should football find it so hard?
What’s your take on this issue?
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Wilshere is 100 per cent right. Of course you should qualify by birthright, back to grandparents perhaps. If not, the next stage will be the oligarchs buying international teams as well as club. Mr Abromovic may well naturalise Cech, Matta, Hazard etc and Sheik Mansour the same at Man Cit, etc
stop pointing finger at the poor lad. How can you be asking a 20yr old about such a sensitive question and when he expresses his oppinion who crucify him. he cant be perfect. no wonder the press are killing the english game.
Poor article, and your argument regarding Will Hughes have no bearing or meaning to support any of your statement in respect of the issue at hand. Harry, wash and clean your mind first if your want to air your thought to others. A wild guess, are you a ManU fans ?