Player Focus: No Need to Worry About Jack Wilshere's Progress

This, everybody seems to agree, is a big season for Jack Wilshere. Even when Wilshere was attacking Jamie Redknapp for his lack of “sympathy” for his injury problems, he was agreeing with those who have said that, at 22, he really needs to start delivering on his early promise if he ever is going to be a very good or great midfielder rather than merely a good one.

The problem is that when a player starts to think like that, it can be that he starts to try to catch the eye. Rather than simply playing, he’s constantly trying to do things that will persuade people he is back to his best. It would be unfair at this stage to suggest Wilshere has fallen prey to that temptation, but there have been worrying signs, particularly in the second leg of the Champions league play-off against Besiktas.

Then, with Arsenal 1-0 up but down to 10 men and knowing an away goal would eliminate them, Wilshere twice in the final minutes found himself with the ball in the opposition half. On the first occasion, he was wide on the left. Everything said he should take the ball into the corner, run down the clock and try to win a corner or a throw-in. Instead, he tried to send a cross into the box, where Alexis Sanchez was waiting, surrounded by three Besiktas players. Not surprisingly, being 5’7”, the Chilean couldn’t win the ball and Besiktas had possession back. A couple of minutes later, Wilshere had the ball centrally and opted to attempt a difficult through ball when, again, he would surely have been better off looking to hold on to possession.

Wilshere made his first appearance for Arsenal in 2009/10, and the following season became a semi-regular. He made 31 starts and 4 sub appearances in 2010/11, missed the entirety of the 2011/12 season after suffering a stress fracture of the ankle. He was back in 2012/13, making 20 starts and 5 sub appearances and then last season, despite suffering a fractured metatarsal and still being afflicted by pain in his ankle, he made 19 starts and 5 sub appearances.

What’s striking, comparing those three seasons, is how similar Wilshere’s statistics are. Pass completion, in particular, has remained remarkably similar – 86.1% or 86.2% in every season. There’s so little variation, in fact, that you begin to wonder whether his form hasn’t fallen off at all, but that expectations have risen, a process perhaps accelerated by the remarkable form of Aaron Ramsey. Turnovers [losing possession due to a poor touch] have gone up to 1.7 per game, after 1.3 in 2010/11 and 1.0 in 2012/13, which may be a slight concern, but the number of fouls committed per game is down, from 3.0 in 2010/11 to 0.9 in 2012/13 and 1.2 last season, suggesting that as he matures, he is learning to curb his wildness.

Many have suggested that Wilshere has lost an explosive burst of pace, probably as a result of the injuries – and speculation about his fitness, of course, isn’t helped by the occasional photographs of him smoking – but the figures suggest little has changed. He made 1.7 successful dribbles per game in 2010/11, 2.2 in 2012/13 and 1.9 last season.

That said, the one statistic that has changed dramatically is interceptions per game. In 2010/11, Wilshere made 1.5 per game, to go with 1.7 tackles. In 2012/13 it was 1.0 interceptions per game and 1.3 tackles. Last season, though, while tackles remained constant at 1.3, he made only 0.4 interceptions per game. Of course, a drop-off would be expected as fouls reduce – he’s not flying in to try to regain possession any more; but that is perhaps indicative of at least a lack of confidence in his capacity to sprint to get to a loose ball or a pass before opponents.

The vast majority of Wilshere’s stats, though, remain constant. In his early twenties, perhaps he would want to see some – goals, assists and key passes in particular – improve, but the general picture suggests there is no reason to panic yet; he just has to stop trying so hard to impress.

What do you think of Wilshere's progress as a footballer, or lack thereof? Let us know in the comments below