Part 3 - Special Feature: Who can replace Gareth Barry in England’s central midfield?
With Carrick, Barry and Scott Parker out of the way, Jack Wilshere is another talent that is under consideration as far as the English national team, defensive midfield spot is concerned. Jack has apparently burst onto the scene
just recently; in the last two years he found it hard to make his mark in an Arsenal side which had Arshavin, Song, Diaby, Fabregas and Nasri in their midfield area. But due to injuries that have plagued Arsenal’s squad again and again through the English
league season, Wilshere has been pushed into first team duty and the youthful creative midfielder has not failed.
As the previous generation of footballers come to their demise, Wilshere and the likes of Rodwell do have what it takes to step up and make themselves house hold names just like Lampard and Gerrard but that is only possible if
Capello entrusts these youngsters to make the best of their abilities on the field. Lately, the Italian has shown a reluctance to trust youth, a trend that only he, himself can justify to the fullest extent. England’s goalless draw against Montenegro may be
a sign of things to come as after the FIFA 2010 World Cup, Capello’s England have yet again faltered against a well organized defensive side. With the lack of creativity, the apparent problem, Wilshere’s inclusion has the potential to work like a charm for
the three lions.
The most wonderful thing about Jack is that his technique, vision and sense of direction in the midfield is way different than other English midfielders like Huddlestone, Carrick and even the likes of Lampard and Gerrard. The young
Englishman is of course reaping the benefit of coming through the Arsenal youth academy where he has learned alongside the enigmatic, Cesc Fabregas and Arsene Wenger.
When the “Professor” is your mentor, you tend to be better than the other lads around and that is exactly the case with Jack. This technique and style which mirrors the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Kaka and Paul Scholes, Wilshere is
the closest thing to a non-English style player that England have. Another factor that adds to Wilshere’s case is that he is just 18 at the moment, at that age; he has easily got another fifteen years of good football ahead of him barring any career threatening
injuries.
There won’t be a better option for Capello who has emphasized that England need to take better care of the ball in international football, Wilshere has already shown in glimpses that he is quite adept at that task in question.
Not only that, he has played for Arsenal this season in the absence of the club’s captain, Cesc Fabregas. In doing so, Wilshere has gained valuable experience in the English Premier League as well as the UEFA Champions League.
Where Wilshere’s youth can work in his favor it can also work against him, international football is tricky business and England might not be as ambitious as their fans expect them to be, Capello might be deterred by Jack’s age
and thus exhibit reluctance to start him alongside Gerrard or Lampard in a two man midfield. With England playing a traditional 4-4-2 in most of their matches, there is essentially a lot of pressure on the central two midfielders that take the field for the
three lions. There is no question that Wilshere posses the technique to make it big but does he possess the engine that would allow him to perform box to box duties at just 18 years of age?
Certainly, those endurance levels are in question most definitely. Maybe, England should find a temporary solution to this problem till the time Jack matures into a full midfielder, in other words England should not count their
chickens before they have hatched.
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