Whenever anybody deems to criticise Arsenal star Jack Wilshere, his fans tend to respond by pointing to his performance against Barcelona a couple of years back. It was a coming of age experience for a young midfielder, as he and his rampant team-mates managed to outplay established talent like Xavi.
But that particular reference point is beginning to get a little tiresome. When was the last time that you can remember Jack Wilshere putting in a really good performance?
In truth, he’s seems to be better known for his misdemeanors nowadays. He’s now been caught smoking three times and there are plenty of pundits out there who seem to be out for his head. Despite this, he’s still got the backing of his manager and (one would assume) his team-mates.
But this begs the question: how should you feel about Jack Wilshere?
At 23-years-old, Jack is no longer the prodigious young talent that he used to be. He needs to start producing the goods on a regular basis and he needs to put his disciplinary issues behind him.
But for him to do this, he needs to put his injury issues behind him. He’s been out of the game for a few months now, thanks to an injury that he picked up against Manchester United back in November (it was the result of a bad tackle). Once he makes his return, he’ll be hoping to get a run of games in this Arsenal squad, so he can show everybody what he can do.
You get the feeling that if he were to start performing on the pitch, there’d be significantly less furore about his tendency to get snapped with a cigarette (or shisha pipe) in his hand.
He’ll have to fight off competition from players like Mesut Ozil, Mikel Arteta, Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla if he’s to hold down a place in the first team, but he’s one of very few footballers in the world with the capacity to do this. He’s talented, driven and determined.
This could prove to be a real boon for The Gunners, if they’re still willing to give him a proper shot.
What’s your take? What does the future hold for Jack Wilshere?
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