In the wake of reports that Jack Wilshere could be out for 6-8 weeks – longer if he needs surgery for a hairline fracture of his tibia – would it be a poor choice of words to say he really needs a break?
After the nasty tackle from Man Utd’s Paddy McNair cost him the best part of 6 months last season, a training ground challenge has been the cause of this latest injury. These things can happen, for all the investment in injury prevention, strength and conditioning, new staff and so on, it’s part and parcel of football.
You can’t really legislate for the damage a tackle can do (although mandatory shin pads in training might be an idea if players are going to go in full blooded) but for Wilshere to be hit with another problem like this seems particularly cruel.
We can speculate all we like about whether it was caused by a fundamental weakness of some sort that’s related to his previous injuries, but chances are he’s just been really, really unlucky. Coming after he’d spoken recently about his fitness and how much work it takes to get yourself to the level required in the Premier League, it’s impossible not to feel sorry for him.
He’s not a first XI player, and his challenge this season was force his way into the reckoning with performances and consistent availability. Now he’s going to miss a couple of months, then we have that period where he needs to catch up in terms of his overall fitness, and it looks like yet another season where the focus is on his fitness rather than his football.
It’s a real shame, and I do feel for him, but if there’s some comfort from our point of view it’s that we’re pretty well covered for players who play in his position. It seems harsh to say that he won’t be missed, of course he will, but we can cope as long as we don’t suffer any further injuries. The issue, of course, is that we were hoping Wilshere could provide the genuine competition in midfield that would continue push those in the first team ahead of him right now. And that Wilshere himself could respond to that situation and perform to a level that would give the manager something to think about it.
At 23 he’s still obviously got lots of time, but increasingly his career is one that is synonymous with injury rather than what he can do with a football. The real shame of it is that when he has displayed the best of what he’s capable of it’s been mouth-wateringly brilliant, but those increasingly feel like snapshots either side of serious absences.
And eventually there comes a time when you have to use those absences as the real marker because their impact, as outlined above, isn’t just on the individual – it’s on the team also. You build your teams around the guys who are reliable and consistent, and even if the last two injuries Jack have suffered have been down to bad luck, he’s not one of them.
As healthy as our squad is going into this new season, the ‘if he can stay fit’ caveat is still one that can be applied to too many. It was true of Wilshere. It can be applied to Theo Walcott who has, perhaps, spent more time out injured than Jack, and also to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – a player capable of big things and who I firmly believe can do great things this season, but only IHCSF. His last two campaigns have been punctuated by problems too.
At this point we don’t know the full extent of Wilshere’s latest absence, and whether or not that necessitates us making a move into the transfer market remains to be seen. I suspect not, based on the relatively short period being mooted right at this moment, but there has to come a time when a player’s constant lack of availability means his place in the squad is in danger. I don’t think we’re quite near that yet with Wilshere, but right at the time you’re looking for him to take a step forwards in his Arsenal career, he’s been forced to take one backwards.
Also, leaving the physical to one side, you have to wonder about the psychological impact this might have on him. Yet another absence, yet more time on the sidelines, yet more rehab and working on his own to get back to the level he needs to be at, and that’s tough. On a very human level it’s going to require some serious strength of character to get through another period of disappointment, so all we can do is wish him luck and hope that sooner or later he gets the run of fitness he deserves.
Sadly, we know that deserve has got nothing to do with it.
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So, something else for the manager to consider ahead of the new season. As I said, I don’t think it affects his team selection a huge amount, but with action on four fronts, and the need to maintain a depth of squad capable of dealing with that, it’s a real blow. I’m guessing his pre-West Ham presser is tomorrow, and there might be a team news update this afternoon, so maybe we’ll get a little more info then.
Right, that’s about that. Just a reminder the Arsecast returns tomorrow as we preview a new season, look at Arsenal’s chances and generally faff about in front of a microphone. We’ll have all the news throughout the day on Arseblog News, and so on.
Finally, just a bit of pre-season housekeeping, the last few copies (there are very few left!) of ‘Together: the story of Arsenal’s unbeaten season‘ are sitting in boxes in my back room. This is your last chance to get one of these rather beautiful hardbacks, and now at a bargain price of just €20 + p&p.
You can get one right here from the Arseblog shop, and once they’re gone, they’re completely gone. No more will ever be made, so get busy!
Ok, Tim Stillman’s column will be here for you later, more from me tomorrow. Have a good one.
