 |
| Wilshere's piledriver against Swansea |
“There is not even a question over whether or not Arsenal's
midfield is in good hands. Jack will be the England captain inside the next two
or three years, you don't have to be a magician to work that one out… he's got
the capacity to dribble, to pass, he will go on to become a top player of the
future. There's not even a question about that.”*
These were Cesc Fabregas’ parting words
of comfort to Gooners, that just as with many great players before him, the club would cope with his departure. It remains debateable just how much Cesc’s
tenure with the club after Vieira left can be qualified as “coping,” but it is
fair to say we were in better shape when he inherited the mantle of talisman
than we are today.
Regardless, Wilshere has been passed
that baton and he wields it with an authority born out of fantastic footballing
skill married to pure, gritty English spirit. In some ways he represents one of
Wenger’s finest achievements, and ironically, that we depend on him so heavily
now surely represents one of, if not the greatest of, Wenger’s failures. We
have managed to secure his immediate future [or the more cynical among us might
say a higher transfer fee] recently with his contract extension and in
conjunction with the other five British players we have locked down a core of
talent that will grow in the Arsenal system in the years to come.
Jack had a similar rise to Cesc’s
through the youth set-up and embodied the phrase “if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.” We
saw glimpses of his quality in the fabled home win against Barcelona in the 2011
Champions League with a Man of the Match performance versus the best midfield
the modern game has ever seen. His legend grew the following season with his
absence from the first team through injury, leaving many to wonder what
influence he might have had on our fortunes, and at least for me, what kind of
football he’d have played with van Persie in such scintillating form.
Now we face a different dilemma. He has
been back only a few months and has recaptured the form that inspired Cesc’s
admiration, particularly against Swansea in the FA Cup Third round replay. But
at the moment even his massive influence does not appear enough to drag the
current side over the line. If he is not yet Arsenal’s present, with his recent
commitment to the club he very much represents the future, and it is incumbent
upon the board and the manager to surround him with the quality of player that
will keep him with us for years to come and give him the best possible chance
to go one better than his predecessor and lift silver wearing the captain’s
armband. We want to be singing every week in the house that Jack built.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteIs this print available for sale?