I apologise for the lack of articles on this blog since Christmas. Between exams and personal issues I haven’t found any time to write anything of worth, despite there being some extraordinary events.
One of the less striking events to take place during my absence was Jack Wilshere’s solid full debut for England during their 2-1 victory against Denmark in Copenhagen. Prior to the match I was struggling to cope with a mountain of work, however in the background was talksport’s drive time show with Adrian Durham and Darren Gough. The topic seemed to be of the duller variety, “How good is Jack Wilshere?”
On the face of it this was a sterile subject that would attract little meaningful discussion. I was wrong. The station was inundated with calls from fans of all clubs, claiming Wilshere was an average player that would never make it at the highest level. Apparently 19 year old Wilshere “only makes sideways passes”, “doesn’t score goals” and “isn’t strong enough.” These weren’t just fans of opposition sides, eager to have a rant against Arsenal, a large proportion of these callers were Arsenal supporters.
Having watched Wilshere’s performances for Arsenal in the first half of the season I thought he was a real prospect. Wilshere looked like a real rarity in English football; a young midfielder with an eye for a pass, an eagerness to keep possession and an ambition to play beautiful football. So I was astonished to hear this reaction to his performances.
Wilshere played for England against Denmark and looked comfortable in a holding midfield role (not his preferred position). However the critics kept claiming the youngster was “average” and “overrated.” I started questioning my own opinions. Was Wilshere just flattering to deceive? Was he really that good?
I continued to question my views until last night, when Arsenal took on European giants Barcelona in the last 16 of the Champions’ League. Arguably the two most stylish teams in Europe went head to head, with much of the focus on the central midfield area. Between Arsenal and Barcelona there were four World Cup-winning central-midfielders on the pitch, and in their midst was young, inexperienced Wilshere.
Like a young leopard, surrounded by experienced hyenas, Wilshere refused to be intimidated. The Englishman starred. Even in a difficult first half when Barcelona dominated possession, Wilshere put up a real fight and was at the heart of all Arsenal’s attacks. During the second half Wilshere pressed Barcelona and played them at their own game. His tenacity was key to turning the match in Arsenal’s favour.
The London club won the game 2-1 thanks to a stunning van Persie strike and a flowing move that culminated in a calm Arshavin finish. However the star of the show was the youngest player on the pitch, local boy Jack Wilshere.
Against Barcelona he proved all his critics wrong as he put in a stylish yet gritty, dominating performance against the Spanish champions elect.
He also proved that many English fans are pretty clueless when it comes to judging true class.
It’s not their fault. These are fans that have watched decades of clubs finding relative success through long-ball, muscular football. These fans saw Wimbledon win the FA Cup and Stoke City establish themselves as a Premier League club. They’ve been poorly educated when it comes to football. Players like Wilshere are still seen as lightweight and over-cautious because they use their brains and not their brawn.
These fans that have labelled Wilshere “overrated” are the same that hail Rooney, Terry and Lampard as classy players. Again, it’s not their fault they’ve never seen an England team capable of stringing passes together like the Spanish, French, Germans and Portuguese.
It’s often suggested that had Xavi would not have been given a chance as a footballer had he been born in Telford and not Terrassa.
Criticism of Wilshere from English football fans shows that they still lack the ability to spot true class in a footballer. They still can’t appreciate ability and craft like continental fans can.
Wilshere’s glowing emergence will hopefully be a catalyst for further development of cultured English players. With the development of cultured players we’ll see the coming of cultured football in England. And when cultured football is the norm football fans themselves will be enlightened and England will finally have cultured fans.
Maybe then players like Wilshere will get the recognition they deserve.
