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| WILSHERE STANDING UP TALL.. BOY NO MORE.. |
Come this summer, Arsene Wenger should be making Jack Wilshere’s immediate future at Arsenal a priority as opposed to Cesc Fabregas’. Wilshere’s performance in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Barcelona at the Emirates was ample proof of the ability Arsene Wenger has shown faith in. For all the talent hunt Wenger has done over the years throughout Europe, notably France, he found this gem in a training ground a little away from North London. The inspiring performance from the Englishman had Sky Sports commentator Martin Tyler describing the 19 year old Wilshere as the -
“The boy who plays like a man.”
Pitted against Barcelona’s deadly trio Xavi-Busquets-Iniesta, who have redefined and dictated the way football is played, Wilshere stuck to his natural game, unfazed by neither occasion nor the opponents. He oozed confidence as he displayed his wide range of passing, looked assured on the ball working himself out of tight spots as he found his teammates consistently when the likes of Xavi, Messi, Iniesta closed in on him on various occasions. He certainly proved to be the cog in Arsenal’s wheel as they beat Barcelona in the first leg of the knockout phase. During the early periods of the game and the second half, Arsenal enjoyed a lion’s share of the possession and had the freedom to play their passing game as a result of Wilshere’s work ethic in the center of the park as he cut out passes of the Blaugrana and spread the ball confidently and with relative ease. He found space despite Pep Guardiola deciding to play 5 in midfield as he brought on Keita for David Villa early in the second half, to protect the latter’s clinical strike in the first half.
Wilshere has also looked threatening going forward, ghosting into the box, spotting gaps and feeding the strike force with defence splitting through balls and passes. He could be the answer to England’s problems in midfield. With Wilshere sitting in front of the defence, Lampard and Gerrard can do what they do best for their respective clubs, move forward and link up with the strikers. Fabio Capello paired Wilshere with Lampard in England’s friendly against Denmark and seemed reasonably pleased with what could be a blooming partnership, he also said Wilshere had the capability to be England’s Makelele. England has lacked someone with his passing range ever since Paul Scholes left the International scene to concentrate on his club career at Manchester United.
Wilshere’s all round game suits Arsenal’s passing game and counter attacking style which they used to deadly effect as Barcelona were undone by a swift break that had Arsenal written all over it. Started by Wilshere as he fed the ball to Fabregas, who fed Nasri along the right wing with a through ball as Barcelona’s back line found themselves scrambling back, out of shape and position. Nasri then found Andrei Arshavin at the edge of the box and the little Russian put his poor form behind him with a curler into the bottom corner that registered Arsene Wenger’s first win over the Blaugrana.
Wilshere’s industrious performance at the Emirates has made Europe sit up and take notice and one would expect top clubs to keep tabs on Englishman hereafter. With the kind of money that clubs are willing to spend on proven players and the inflated transfer market that exists, Arsenal will be forced to accept huge bids if Wilshere expresses his desire to leave the club that nurtured him. One thing football has proved over the past decade or two has been “Never say never”. Loyalty and common sense are hard things to come by in football today. Arsenal must remind the likes of Wilshere, Fabregas, Van Persie, Walcott and Samir Nasri of the club’s ambition, if they ever need any reminding, keep them grounded and establish their importance to the club with lucrative pay packets to ward off scavengers like Real Madrid who prefer to cherry pick rather than nurture talent.
Cesc Fabregas could leave this summer if he doesn’t lay his hands on any silverware this season. Arsenal are alive in all competitions and winning the Carling cup seems realistic and in fact a good possibility with them playing Birmingham City in the final later this month but Arsenal really need to win the Premier League or the Champions League to convince Fabregas to commit his future to the club. Not just on paper but to his own conscience. Players signing new contracts hardly ward off suitors with clubs ready to break the bank to secure their services. Tottenham’s revelation this season, Winger Gareth Bale putting pen to paper on a deal that ties him to White Hart Lane for the next four years only seems a deal to secure a higher transfer amount with the sale of the Welshman almost inevitable given his performances in Europe, especially against Inter Milan both at the San Siro and White Hart Lane.
Without doubt their Captain Fabregas has led the young guns by example over the past few seasons. But after reiterating his desire of returning home to Spain and Barcelona he hasn’t been the same, performances have fallen from the standards we have come to expect from the Spaniard. Arsenal for long periods of their current season have rode on Samir Nasri, Jack Wilshere and Alex Song’s stellar performances in the middle of the park along with goals from Maroune Chamakh and the prolific Dutchman Van Persie up front for the earlier and latter parts of the season respectively.
Wenger ensured Barcelona didn’t buy back Fabregas last summer as he quoted an exorbitant price for the Spaniard and to Fabregas’ credit he didn’t throw tantrums most footballers have made a habit of. He was all along open to Wenger and the Arsenal fans about wanting to go back home. Wenger must now be aware of rumours of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Chelsea hovering over his talismanic Captain. If Arsenal loses out on the premier league, Champions league and eventually Fabregas, Wenger should rebuild his side centered around the likes of Nasri, Wilshere, Walcott and Van Persie.
Wenger’s decision to not buy quality, proven defenders last summer could backfire on his quest of the Holy Grail, the Champions League this season. Squillaci hasn’t been first choice despite Thomas Vermaelen being injury ridden all season. Koscielny though has been reasonably consistent and did exceedingly well against the Barcelona attack, but has at times been a little rash with already quite a few red cards to his name and was the culprit in their shock 4-4 draw at Newcastle United despite being up 4-0 at half time as he gave away two peanlties. Swiss defender Johan Djourou has come back from injury problems and has done well in the Premier League but looked out of sorts against Villa and Messi.
Another Wenger find, Polish keeper Wojciech Szczensy, who positioned and spread himself well making crucial saves throughout the night, seems to be the Gunner’s answer to a world class keeper. Szczensy made his debut against Manchester United a month ago as Arsene Wenger found his first choice Keeper Almunia and his replacement Fabianski ruled out because of injuries. Judging by the commanding and assured performances the Polish Keeper has produced it would hardly come as a surprise if Almunia and Fabianski find themselves warming the bench at the Emirates once they make their return from their respective injuries.
The return Leg at the Camp Nou could be crucial to Arsenal and their captain’s near future but it would take another stellar performance from Jack Wilshere to stop Xavi, Iniesta and Barcelona from passing their opponents to death. Arsenal need to stick to their game and use the flanks efficiently. With Barcelona’s defence holding a high line along with attacking full backs, Arsenal must get Theo Walcott to use his pace along the wing rather than cut inside and on the counter attack get behind Dani Alves and utilize the space to create opportunities. Theo Walcott must use his blistering pace as he did last year against Barcelona devastatingly. Arsenal must be clinical against a Barcelona defence that finds themselves without a suspended Gerrard Pique. Koscielny and Djourou should look to cramp Barcelona for space and simply cannot afford to hold a high offside line themselves as they helplessly watched Barcelona repeatedly beat the offside trap at the Emirates and if it hadn’t been for wayward shooting from Barcelona and an impressive show from Szczensy, Arsenal would have been travelling to Nou camp to complete the formalities of Barcelona’s passage into the quarter finals.
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| WILL THE PROMISES BE DELIVERED ARSENE? |
Wenger knows what is at stake when his team takes on what is considered, not just the greatest Barcelona side but the greatest side to have ever played the game. Arsenal must not get complacent after the result at the emirates because Barcelona are still the team to beat.. and one of the greatest sides ever and at their fortress capable of streamrolling the best of sides as their demolition of Real Madrid earlier in the season will remind us and Wenger. But Arsenal have the chance to carve a niche for themselves in history by winning the Champions League or go down as the team that nearly was, a team that flattered to deceive. The return Leg at Camp Nou has all the makings of a classic European night. Wenger’s young guns have matured, their stage is set.. It’s time they got their guns out of the Arsenal and fired..
