Jack Wilshere Style of Play
On New Years Day, Jack Wilshere celebrated his 18th birthday. Something that is surely hard for anyone to believe who has watched him play.
Wilshere is an attacking, left footed midfielder, who has been described by many as the best teenage player in England. At 5’8 Wilshere uses a low center of gravity to play close to the ground. He has excellent ball protection and can be very tricky. He has solid speed and great quickness.
Wilshere currently plays for Arsenal and it has been speculated he may earn a 2010 World Cup roster spot for England. This speculation has died down a bit since Wilshere has not seen much on-field action this year with Arsenal. However, the promise of his talent has left intact the lofty expectations of his future.
Wilshere is aggressive by nature and he will look for chances to take on defenders. He stays in attack mode as much as possible, always looking to make a forward pass. If the pass isn’t there he is never shy about traveling with it himself.
This is where he sets himself apart from other midfielders. It is his ability to force the action and keep the ball from the defenders. Either with sudden dribbling, lobbing the goalkeeper or an embellishment of keepy-ups.
His game has drawn comparisons to greats Wayne Rooner and Paul Gascoigne. Wilshere himself describes his style of play as being similar to Joe Cole. Wilshere is a player who needs to go past defenders, this means before he is fully ready to put his immense talents on display, at an elite level, he has to develop power.
Judging by the reaction to his skills and the buzz his talent and extraordinary training performances have created, this is just a matter of time.