The manager recognized the talent he had but felt that he was not ready for first team action with the Gunners last term. Whether that was a wrong decision is still being debated as Wilshere would have come in handy given the multiple injuries that we had towards the end of the season last time around. However, I am not one to question the manager and I feel that Bolton gave young Jack a good lesson in tenacity during his time there.
Whereas last term, you saw that the young lad was easily pushed around and often lost concentration during the few matches he played, this season, he has shown the maturity of a season campaigner and is the probably a shoo- in for Young Player of the Year if he can maintain his form.
Last night's match against Shakhtar again demonstrated how far he has come along. Already one of the most important and consistent performer for the Gunners this season, he showed his ability to combine well with skipper Cesc Fabregas to command the midfield. Both player are pretty similar un style yet combine so well during the match, each knowing where to run, fall back and distribute the ball. With both of them, the Gunners rarely gave the ball away unlike the previous matches when the passing have not been up to mark. Because both Cesc and Jack have such excellent vision, it is like having two playmakers in the team and well, the result is for all to see.
The lethal young duo also put paid to the fallacy that two similar players cannot play together. The English national team is still having the problem of accomodating Gerrard and Lampard in the same line-up because of their similar styles of play. Fabio Capello should learn a lesson or two from watching the Arsenal midfield at work because the movement of Jack and Cesc can be emulated by Gerrard and Lampard to the benefit of the national team.
It is a pity that we won't have the chance to see this line-up again until possible the return leg in Ukraine as Jack will need to serve a 3 game suspension following his red card against Birmingham. He has been ever present in the league so far and the team will definitely miss him in the up-coming matches
No comments:
Post a Comment