Tag Archives: Jack Wilshere

Vincent Kompany explains Arsenal’s injury problems

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For a long time I have been of the opinion that there was nothing wrong with Arsenal’s training, medical team, pitch, or forcing players to return early, when it came to our injury issues over the years.

I had a much more basic reasoning for Arsenal’s injury problems. That we had too many players who were naturally injury prone.

The recent problems of Vincent Kompany has supported my opinion further.

The Belgium international has now picked up his 35th injury since joining Manchester City. And incredible amount. Despite many different managers, many different training programmes, one thing has remained a constant, Kompany being injured.

It is not just the amount of injuries he has had, but the length of time it takes him to return from injuries. 9 weeks for a ‘slight thigh strain’, 6 weeks for a minor calf strain. Not only does Kompany pick up a lot of injuries, he also takes an age to recover from them.

In 2015/16, he suffered 5 injuries, seeing him out injured for 283 days our of 365.

He reminds of the likes of Jack Wilshere and Abou Diaby. It takes an age for him to get fit, and when rumours start rumbling that he is fit once more, or he actually steps on a football pitch, he breaks down again. Another month+ out.

Daniel Sturridge is another one. Always out injured. Takes forever for him to return, and he is only a slight ankle twist from being out for another 6 months.

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The likes of Daniel Sturridge & Vincent Kompany picking up so many injuries when others around them seem immortal can not be a coincidence. It will be due to the physical make up of their bodies.

We are all unique. Some of us put on weight just by looking at a Krespy Kreme, others can eat for 6 and never put on weight. Some take a dozen days a year off work with colds, headaches and other alignments, others haven’t taken a day off work in 12 years. It is all to do with our genetic code.

And it is the same as with muscles and joints. Some of us are built strong. We would have never have picked up an injury. When we fell out the tree as a kid, we bounced, got back up, and climbed back up. Others are built weak. Always turning an ankle on a kerb. Always in and out of hospital as a child due to breaking arms just falling over.

We are all made differently.

When it comes to Arsenal, the biggest reason we suffered so many injury problems over the years was simple. We had too many players who were naturally injury prone.

Robin van Persie, Thomas Vermaelen, Samir Nasir, Tomas Rosicky, Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Theo Walcott, Kieran Gibbs and, of course, Abou Diaby. The majority had injury issues when they joined us, injury issues whilst playing for us, and injury issues after leaving us.1551

You could perhaps carry one or two injury prone players. Talented guys who when fit, were
worthwhile keeping around. Arsenal did this when they had both Emmanuel Adebayor and Robin van Persie. The effect of the Dutchman being out was felt less due to having decent back up.

The trick is simple. Do not have too many injury prone players in your squad at one time. And if you do have one who often breaks down, ensure the back up players are of sufficient quality.

There is no point keeping someone like Abou Diaby around if his cover is Jack Wilshere. Then Jack Wilshere’s cover is Aaron Ramsey. The odds are all 3 players will be out at the same time. And then you are screwed. This happened more than once at Arsenal.

This year, however, feels different. We do not seem to be carrying as many naturally injury prone players in our squad as yesteryear.

The likes of Tomas Rosicky and Mikel Arteta have left us. Jack Wilshere out on loan. Last year these 3 players scored 303 Premier League appearances between them. With Jack Wilshere making the only start.

But offloading all three, Arsenal have basically taken 3 guys out of the treatment room, off the PhysioRoom.com Premier League Injury Table, and instantly made Arsenal’s injury problems less problematic.

No changes in training, no changes in pitch, no horse placenta. Just getting rid of injury prone players has given us a fitter squad.

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Of the 6 players currently out injured, none of them would be described as injury prone.

Santi Cazorla is borderline. It is his 2nd long injury in 12 months, and how long it it taking him to get back fit is mystifying, nearly to Tomas Rosicky levels. Danny Welbeck is similar, But neither are yet at the level of the likes of Diaby, Rosicky, or Arteta.

The others out injured are not a worry.

Now by getting rid of those who are historically always out, it has meant that we have felt the impact of injuries less.

Santi Cazorla is out. in previous years, we would also have Arteta, Wilshere and Rosicky out. Which would have left us with just Aaron Ramsey and Francis Coquelin in the middle of the park. Ramsey would then pick up an injury for being over played – and he has only just returned from 3 months out – and we would be screwed.

But Arteta, Wilshere and Rosicky have been replaced with Mohamed Elneny and Granit Xhaka. Two players with good injury records. And what that has left us with is options, even when a couple of key players are out injured.

Per Mertesacker is another one. The Arsenal captain’s absence has not been felt as Laurent Koscielny, Shkodran Mustafi and Gabriel has remained fit. Koscielny’s long term achilles and back issues seem to have cleared up.

So there is no genius reason why Arsenal have not suffered the injury problems this season that we have previous. It is just that we have less injury prone players.

Arguably just Kieran Gibbs, Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott.

The likes of Vincent Kompany, Daniel Sturridge, Andy Carroll & Jack Wilshere highlight that injuries are often more to do with the players own individual make up, rather than anything more serious than that.

Think of history. Arjen Robben, Darren Anderton, Jamie Redknapp, and many, many more. Players who were always injured. Whilst team mates barely missed a game.

For me, Santi Cazorla and Danny Welbeck are in last chance saloon. Both have now missed a lot of game time over 12 months injured. If they can not get fit, and stay fit, then they should be shipped out, replaced with players who can stay fit.

Chelsea won the league a few years back using hardly any players. They kept everyone fit. The same with Leicester last year. Spurs only fell away when they started to lose players in the last 10 games. Fitness is key in the Premier League. You need to keep your players fit.

And to keep your players fit, you need to recruit fit players.

It does not matter how talented you are, if you can not stay fit, you are useless.

Keenos

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What happened to Jack Wilshere & Serge Gnabry?

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AIAFOG-Pre-Order-Signed-CopyAt the end of the 2013/14 season, had I told you that 18 year old Serge Gnabry would leave Arsenal in 2 seasons for £6million having not played another game, you would have called me an attention seeker.

At the end of the 2010/11 season, had I told you that 18 year old Jack Wilshere would leave on loan at 24 years old with his future career hanging in the balance, you would have called me an attention seeker.

And that is the situation both players find themselves in.

Serge Gnabry was nominated for the 2013 Golden Boy Award. Eventually won by Paul Pogba, it is given to the player playing in Europe perceived to have been the most impressive during a calendar year under the age of 21. Gnabry was just 17 when nominated.

At the end of the 2010/11 season, Jack Wilshere was named PFA Young Player of the Year, an annual award given to the player aged 23 or under at the start of the Premier League season.

Both prestigious talents playing above their age, winning or being nominated for awards alongside players 4 years older. The future was bright for them. The future was bright for Arsenal.

Fast forward to the present day. I am writing this on transfer deadline day (so both deals might have fallen through by the time you read this meaning this blog is pointless), both players look set to leave the club on, at minimum, a temporary basis. Gnabry probably permanent.

So what happened? What went wrong?

Serge Gnabry is a path of bad luck and unfortunate circumstances.

In 2013/14 he looked exceptional. He was being talked about as the future of Germany. A long term replacement for Theo Walcott. Taking into account Walcott’s loss of confidence, form and ability, 2016/17 should have been Gnabry’s year. But it is not.

In what turned out to be his last senior game at Arsenal, Gnabry picked up a serious knee injury.

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Arsenal took their time repairing the youngster, and he was not seen again for almost a year, playing for the youth side in the late stages of 2014/15.

The next year he was sent out on loan. The idea was simple. Send him to a Premier League club, he will play 38 games. Be a superstar, and return ready to fight for his place in the team.

Unfortunately he ended up at WBA, playing for Tony Pullis who clearly has an irrational hatred for attacking players (good luck Nacer Chadli). He played 13 Premier League minutes.

Pullis blamed Gnabry. Saying the young winger was unable to adapt to his defensive philosophy and lacked work-rate without the ball. Ignoring the fact that he was dealing with a young Eden Hazard or Lionel Messi, not a Robbie Savage or Lee Catermole. I do wonder why Pullis loaned an attacking player when what he wanted was defensive. Maybe he should have got in a couple of full backs to play on the wing?

So at this point Gnabry had lost 2 years of his career. 2 years of important development. He showed at the Olympics his natural ability. But with 1 year left on his contract, Arsenal were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Attempt to get him to sign a new 5 year deal, loan him out, risk him not developing, and we are stuck with an average player on a long contract. Or sell him, risk losing a talented youngster, something we might regret later.

Gnabry is still just 21. He has a bright future in the game. Hopefully Arsenal have a buy back clause and a sell on clause in the deal. That one day he might return ala Morata at Real Madrid. Or we might do a Carlos Vela and use the clause to extort more money out of the club we are selling too. I wish him luck.

Jack Wilshere’s situation is well documented and does not need much time spent on it.

I first wrote about his potential downfall and what was maybe the beginning of the end in 2014 when I wrote about Jack Wilshere on his last chance. More recently I put forward the case that his time at Arsenal was coming to an end.

Injury is Jack Wilshere’s main problem. Whether this is caused by playing too much too young, Arsene Wenger rushing him back, a hard training pitch, poor medical staff, dodgy ankles, or holding on to the ball too long causing players to lunge in and catch him, he has had an awful time.

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Jack Wilshere has played just 103 Premier League games for Arsenal. Starting just 80. Finishing even less. He is now 24.

The time has come where he needs to prove his fitness. Prove he has the durability to go with his ability.

At Arsenal he does not have the opportunity to do this. He finds himself behind Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla in the pecking order. He needs to show he can play 30 league games. He will get the chance to show this away from Arsenal, not at Arsenal.

What both players highlight is the difficulty in transitioning for players from talented kid to global superstar. It is not easy. And it is not just Arsenal.

Everton’s Ross Barkley has reached a cross roads in his career, dropped by England. Adnan Januzaj has found it tough at Manchester United and now finds himself on loan at Sunderland.

What happened to Andre Wisdom, Martin Kelly & Jon Flanaghan at Liverpool? Jordan Ibe too.

Looking down the list of Golden Boy’s you would say only Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas, Sergio Aguero & Paul Pogba fulfilled their potential.

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Wayne Rooney, Rafael van der Vaart, Mario Gotze and Isco never really progressed to World Class talents. Anderson, Alexandre Pato & Mario Balotelli did nothing. Sterling and Martial the jury is still out on.

All have their reasons for not making it. Some were not good enough. Others got fat. Some lazy. Believing their own hype. Others took a bad move. One shagged a granny. Being a Golden Boy does not mean you will have a golden career.

The situation that Jack Wilshere and Serge Gnabry find themselves in should be a lesson to every fan who gets over excited when a youngster comes through. Give them the chance to develop at their own pace. Don’t idolise them before they have achieved something. And back them. Don’t get in their backs.

Keenos

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Jack Wilshere – Sold; Not Loaned

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132Last night some news started to break that caused many Arsenal fans to lose it.

Arsenal are rumoured to be looking to loan out Jack Wilshere.There was Twitter wide condemnation of this news.

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And I completely agree. Jack Wilshere should not be loaned out. He should be sold.

Jack Wilshere made his Arsenal debut at 16, and became Arsenal’s youngest ever league debutant at 16 years, 256 days. In 2011 he had a performance against Barcelona that had the world purring. When Cesc Fabregas left, we shrugged our shoulders as we had Jack Wilshere.

And Arsenal lad with the pride and passion of a local boy, but the technical ability of a La Masia graduate. It was a matter of when, rather than if, he would become Arsenal captain.

In football however things rarely progress how is expected. And with Jack Wilshere that is certainly the case.

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That game against Barcelona in 2011, when Wilshere was barely 19, is still the zenith of his career. It was over 5 years ago.

2010/11 was Wilshere’s breakthrough year. He went from graduate talent and Bolton loanee to the future of Arsenal. The future of England. He played 35 of the 38 Premier League games, a total of 2652 league minutes.

England debut. PFA Young Player of the Year. PFA Team of the Year. Arsenal Player of the Season. All in the space of 10 months.

And then it all started to unravel.

During the summer leading into the 2011–12 season, Wilshere suffered a stress fracture ankle injury during an Emirates Cup pre-season friendly against New York Red Bulls.

The provisional expectation was it would not keep him out too long. He did not play a game all season.

In fact, in total, this injury kept Wilshere out for 17 months – 524 days. It was going to be a sign of things to come.

Ankle injuries, a body which breaks down, and a body which takes a long time to recover.

Off field behaviour aside, and there have been many a distasteful incident when injured, Jack Wilshere has simply not played enough football for Arsenal to justify wearing that shirt.

Between 2011 and today, he has completed 4,326 minutes of Premier League football from a possible 17,370. Last season is was just 141 minutes.

Back in the day we used to mock Spurs for Darren Anderton. Liverpool for Jamie Redknapp. Two brilliantly talented players who spent more time on the beaches of the world than the football pitch.

In response to our mocking, they used to reply by pointing out the talent the players had. That when they do finally get fit they would be England’s two best players. But neither ever really got fit. Never fulfilled their talent.

In Jack Wilshere we have a player of similar ilk.

A lot of fans gave Arsene Wenger dogs abuse for sticking with Abou Diaby. And rightly so.

But it seems those fans who wanted Diaby out, said we should have got rid of him, are then supporting Jack Wilshere.

If Wenger game Diaby too many chances because he is French, are you not giving Wilshere too many chances because he is English?

In Diaby’s last 6 years at Arsenal, he played 4,105 minutes. Just 200 minutes short of what Jack has done in the last 6 years. Neither is acceptable.

It is hard to see where Wilshere fits in when everyone is fit.

He has never really developed as the defensive midfielder Roy Hodgson hoped he would become.

Granit Xhaka – who incredibly is younger than Wilshere – put in a performance against Watford at a level we have never seen Jack play for over half a decade. He is the player Wilshere could have become.

Moving forward, he has Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla ahead of him in the pecking order to play central midfield behind Mesut Ozil.

That leaves Wilshere on the bench. And you would rather see Cazorla (or Ramsey) come on ahead of him when we need to change a game. And Elneny come on ahead when we need to see out a game.

In fact, when everyone is fit (and I know it’s a big, unrealistic ask), would Jack Wilshere even make the bench? Ospina, Gibbs, Per, Elneny, Cazorla, Perez, Welbeck.

He potentially wouldn’t.

So here we have a player who can not be relied upon. His body can not be trusted. We as fans grimace every time he goes down, fearing the worst. Will he come back up?

He gets substituted after taking a knock. We wonder if we will see him again. His reliability it not better than Diaby. A player we all said Wenger should have got rid of at 24. And here is Jack Wilshere, now 24 himself.

Maybe a loan deal will actually be good for him.

Wilshere needs to prove that he can play a full season. Arsenal can not give him that opportunity. As things stand, he doesn’t make our first XI. So he does not get the chance to prove his fitness, to fulfil his undoubted talent, to force his way in.

A loan deal to a Premier League club would give him the chance to do that. But then again, based on the last 5 years, it is only a matter of time until he breaks down again.

Jack Wilshere is a talent. But a talent who can not be relied upon to play.

Keenos

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