It’s been a season of injury problems for Arsenal, and the latest to succumb to what looks like a lengthy spell on the sidelines is Jack Wilshere.
The midfielder is facing a period out having sustained ligament damage against Man Utd on Saturday evening. Wilshere was caught high on the ankle by a reckless Paddy McNair challenge which, amazingly, didn’t even result in an Arsenal free kick.
Although he tried to play on he had to give up the ghost just moments later and scans have shown that the damage he suffered is going to keep him out for some time.
At his press conference today Arsene Wenger was somewhat coy, saying, “I can’t give you any timescale there. He’ll be out for a while. He has to see a specialist next week to see how long.”
It’s not unusual for the manager to try and keep the extent of an injury under wraps, however, the initial diagnosis suggests he going to be missing for the Christmas period at least.
On the plus side we are well stocked for midfielders at the moment so it’s not as if his absence leaves us short, but coming into the busiest time of the season having that depth is never a bad thing.
Fingers crossed he recovers well and that the scan next week shows the damage isn’t as bad as feared.
Rosicky time
Personally I’d prefer to move Ox in the middle and give Walcott/Podolski some game time.
Given that Walcott has some (hopefully) minor problem….. Rosicky time!
The Ox tends to lose focus defensively. See Man Utd’s counter attack for their second over the weekend. He fails to track Rooney.
Defense is easier to be taught than attack, the latter is more instinctive rather than working on it in training. The Ox got the speed and physicality to be a great box-to-box midfielder.
The whole team doesn’t have focus defensively. And Arteta is meant to be the DM anyway.
No, no, Monreal will play centre midfield. Little bit how it works these days.
If we needed a bit of experience there then you could be right, but we don’t.
Similarly if Debuchy hadn’t been injured then Chambers would have slotted next to BFG but as he was, the manager wanted a more experienced player in the back 4 and Monreal has done a decent job there (unlike BFG).
Though Rosicky has not had a lot of time, he has not impressed me at all this season though this is the time for him to step for sure. And though we are not short of midfielders, Wilshere (despite the big miss on the weekend) was actually playing the best of the bunch. Santi and Ramsey have been below par, the former perhaps needing some rest. So, I see JW’s injury as a big blow and still some time before Ozil returns.
oh fuck off McNair. shit tackle.
Crazy that people are more interested in Wilshere’s “head-nudge” than that reducer!
Anyone else getting a touch of Owen Hargreves about Jack? 🙁
Fuck sake. Speedy recovery Jack.
what about Scz??
He’s only really played well for England this season, albeit against weak opposition. I think Jack is in Limbo at the moment. Really talented player, but his stats in offensive positions don’t lie. He could be a midfield anchor man, because of his passing range, but needs someone big and strong alongside to protect him. He generally injures himself trying to tackle players. Don’t think he is compatible with Ramsey. I’m afraid it has to be one or the other. I’d prefer Jack in all honesty, he’s more technically gifted and fights more.
Ramsey is very off form at the moment, but you’d prefer Jack over the Ramsey he proved he could be last season? That’s interesting…the technically gifted thing can go either way for those two, they have different strengths but I can give you that, fine. But fights more? Like that head but? There’s a difference between ‘fight’ and ‘using your brain’ – Jack hasn’t figured that out yet. Not saying he can’t or won’t, but I get really tired of this ‘fight’ ‘passion’ argument when it most times doesn’t help us or him. (Oh yeah and Ramsey definitely doesn’t show… Read more »
Dont really know why Jack gets a lot more love and time from supporters than any other midfielder in his position, i think he is probably our least productive where ever you play him in the middle in terms of goals, assists, tackles etc. I like jack a lot but his numbers next to ramsey, ozil, carzola, theo even the ox is not to the required level at the moment. i hope he truly reaches his potential with the club but he really does get a by from fans than any other player.
He’s an academy product that runs around a bit. His numbers aren’t as black and white as goals tackles assists. There should be a stat or measure for “drives the team forward or increases tempo”
Jack and little Mozart are brilliant at that, that’s why I love him at least
we are well covered in his position so shouldn’t be too big a miss. Much more important to have kos back.
All I have to say is that Mike Dean is a Cunt!!
Some trolls thumbed this comment down!!!!!
Of fucking course
Dun be stubborn Arsene, try him out as our defensive midfielder.
He gets injured more times being tackled than tackling. And he will be passing long accurate balls out rather than trying to dribble through the whole opposition defence himself. And most of the time, his fanciful passes or dribbles tend to be the launch pad for a counter attack against us.
Please, try him out to understudy Arteta.
This is too bad for Jack. It happened at a time where he needed to continuously improve his game. By the time Theo is fit and ready to play, I see Welbeck playing as a winger and Giroud up front. The Ox moving to the center. That’s where Wenger sees Chambo’s future anyway. Nacho is improving and there is no point of rushing Kos.
Speedy recovery Jack.
Let’s hope Ramsey can find some form.
Now that wilshere is out I shall return to resurrect thy Arsenal and deliver to thy promise land without an overloaded midfield.
ironically if mike dean had’ve done the right thing and sent him off, he wouldn’t be injured.
If Dean had done the right thing throughout, lots more of the ManU players would have had a card before jacks retaliation.
Sad news. Get well soon, Jack. Another victim of the sad state of refereeing
Shads time to shine
Well, I think Ramsey is the better of the two anyways. He just needs to get back to his full capacity. I like Wilshere, but that miss against Man Utd really pissed me off. The same goes for his attack on Fellaini.
The miss or his reaction to fellani does not mean he should be injured. I for one, like his passion. We need more of that fire and passion on this team
Completely agree
Completely disagree
Scholes was right. Jack Wilshere has not improved over the years. He is an average to above average player if we are honest with ourselves….
You weren’t saying that after the City game, were you?
Its a shame. He was really starting to hit form… That horribly hit shot aside.
Never like to see a player injured, but results should improve with Jack out of the team. With Giroud back and better hold up play we should go back to a strict 4231. Enough of this 4141/4231 already. Ramsey should benefit the most as he won’t have to worry about running into Jack in midfield. Bold prediction – if we get a proper DM option in January and CB cover, with Ozil back and playing in the No 10 position (i.e. Jack is playing in a deeper midfield role or on the bench), and the team stays fit, we will… Read more »
Although I certainly don’t wish injury upon our players, I am having a hard time feeling sympathy for Wilshere. It may be the miss against United clouding my mind, but for me the man is just not learning about his body’s strengths and weaknesses. He does not adapt his game to his traits. That is why he has been clobbered year upon year, reaching out for balls that got away from him, and has never completed a full season of fitness.
So what you’re saying is that it’s his own fault he keeps getting clattered by knuckle draggers? Right.
No I am not saying that. I am saying that the clobbering will continue. Even if McNair was on a yellow card, he would still make that tackle because the defender is a) inexperienced b) had a nervous game c) Arsenal had 4 vs 3 on that counterattack d) Arsenal had reached the edge of the box. So I think blaming the ref is inconsequential. Everyone knows, Wilshere included, that the ref is not going to protect you all the time and, in the case of Dean, will not give you anything, as Wilshere learnt in the first half. So… Read more »
Wilshere waits so long so that defenders can’t anticipate what he’s going to do next, making them commit themselves. All the best dribblers do it but unlike a Hazard or Sanchez, Wilshere doesn’t necessarily have the pace/agility to get out of the way after he’s pushed the ball. He’s also doing it in really congested areas of the park, purposely drawing as many defenders around him as possible unlike, say, Ox who looks to push the ball into space as quickly as possible. Also, he’s playing in a league which celebrates clobbers like McNair, Shawcross etc.
Jagger, you’re right! Also his shooting is no better than it was at 17. His self control is no better. His fitness has regressed. Aside the Man City game this season, he has not made decisive game impact. His smoking and boozing have increased in public eye. Like Wenger, he is overall consistently competent. The improvements age should bring to an intelligent mind are glaring in their absence. Sad, but he can be no more than a squad player if playing for a results-focused manager. That is not the case so we can expect to see him a bit more… Read more »
Yeah it is his own fault great players release the ball quickly instead of running into brick walls as he often does.
I have to say that he doesn’t hang onto it anymore than any of the ‘great players’ in the continental leagues, but he doesn’t get the protection from the refs like they do. He tends to play better for England and in the CL because of the protection afforded to him in those games. OK maybe that means he’s not playing correctly for the PL but equally it doesn’t mean he deserves to be injured.
I agree that he doesn’t get the protection from the refs that some of the other great players do, but I think it’s mostly because Jack isn’t very good at what he’s trying to do. Ox is a very direct player and he’s not being tackled like Jack. Hazard is very direct and he avoids tackles. Jack seems to run into a lot of tackles and complains to the ref when he doesn’t get the call versus just getting on with it. When Jack was pushed over in the United box on Saturday I knew he wasn’t getting the call.… Read more »