Yet despite the development of players such as Nasri, Clichy, Fabregas, and more recently Gibbs, Ramsey and Wilshere there have been numerous players who have failed to make the grade. Denilson, Lansbury and Coquelin have all come through and failed to live up to their potential. Whilst obviously talent and temperament are high on the list of desired attributes, one feels that with the right guidance and support some of these players may have made it or at least attained a higher level of football

For over a decade, Arsenal have become renowned for their ability to nurture talent and allow young players the necessary opportunity to grow and flourish at a top competitive level. From young talented players at the fringes of big clubs to talents emerging in smaller domestic leagues, Wenger and his team of scouts have scoured the world and sold the Arsenal vision to many young and up and coming talents. It is a hallmark of Wenger’s managerial career, a trait that has made him one of the most respected managers in world football.

Yet despite the development of players such as Nasri, Clichy, Fabregas, and more recently Gibbs, Ramsey and Wilshere there have been numerous players who have failed to make the grade. Denilson, Lansbury and Coquelin have all come through and failed to live up to their potential. Whilst obviously talent and temperament are high on the list of desired attributes, one feels that with the right guidance and support some of these players may have made it or at least attained a higher level of football.

Please don’t misconstrue my words, Wenger is probably the most openly supportive manager of youth football in the modern game, he never shies away from giving young talented players a chance to impress. But is it possible by allowing these players so much football and not keeping key senior players at the club that these talented youngsters were not given the required support needed to make the top grade? How different must it be to have a senior Patrick Vieira or Ray Parlour on the training ground to coax the best out of the new breed of midfielders in the club? Or how much would the decision making of Bendtner or Carlos Vela have improved if they had Dennis Bergkamp or Thierry Henry at the club on a full time basis?

The prime example of someone who would have benefitted from an older, world class mentor is surely Jay Emmanuel Thomas; a player Wenger believed could go all the way.

“Jay is knocking very hard on my door – with two hands. He has outstanding quality… he has the build you dream to have. It is down to how far he wants to go because he has big potential.”

JET’s talent was undoubted, he had everything: the build, speed, stamina, great feet and the ability to score both inside and outside the box but he couldn’t quite make the breakthrough despite the numerous chances Wenger game him. Maybe it was temperament or possibly Wenger simply got this one (hard to believe Wenger could get it wrong after such high acclaim) but I can only believe that JET didn’t get the sort of tutelage his talent needed, a disciplined figure to pull him to one side, a world class talent he simply had to listen to, someone who he can relate to and look up to, a player who can teach him the intricacies of his role in the team.

Whilst this may have been the case as recently as last year, it no longer seems to be the case; our squad is stock filled with experience and quality, players that have played across Europe at the highest level, players who have gone through the experiences of being down or out or have experienced the elation of winning a title.

We have Ozil and Flamini who have played with some of the best players in the world and won major titles in Spain and Italy, accompanied by experienced internationals such as Rosicky and Mertesacker who have on occasion captained their national side and consummate professionals Arteta and Cazorla who bring their own unique qualities to the club.

It is with this new level of experience, and I use the word level as we have had some of these players at the club for a while but they all seem to be of significant age or ability now to impose themselves on the younger members of the squad, that our younger players seem to be gaining experience through game time and exposure to great players.

A prime example of this is Jack Wilshere, still only 22; Jack has been touted as a future Arsenal captain and legend since he broke into the team in formidable fashion in 2010 before suffering a stress fracture on his right ankle. It is no coincidence that after playing 35 senior level games at the age of 18 Jack suffered a stress fracture, his body was stretched to its limit and he eventually succumbed to injury. His influence and ability was a huge loss the following season and his form has fluctuated ever since.

But after the Villa game, it’s become apparent that Wilshere is slowly returning to the form that saw him lauded as the ‘savior of English football’. He imposed his character and ability on a game in which Arsenal were struggling to manage to break through the opposition’s rearguard.

This time last year, Wilshere’s body was again suffering from the rigours of the hectic Christmas schedule and towards the end of the season was used sporadically by Wenger as we aimed to retain a Champions League spot. With so much pressure and a lack of quality in the Arsenal midfield, Wenger used both Ramsey and Wilshere in games where they struggled to impose themselves, Ramsey’s performances were even met with boos and abuse from our own fans.

Now however, the Arsenal midfield department is abuzz with quality, experience and versatility allowing Wilshere to focus on his development without hampering the form of the club or his personal health. We have a mixture of youth, experience and players in their prime who can come in and out of the squad to give Wenger the balance he feels the team requires to win games whilst developing the ability of his players. We have seen it recently with Serge Gnabry at rightwing and Carl Jenkinson at full back but Wenger is also demonstrating it with his use of Wilshere, a player who has been capped 13 times by England. After a fledgling career in which he spent most of it in the limelight of the media or the club’s physiotherapist, he finally has the opportunity to develop and discover what sort of player he is away from the spotlight, or at least in the shade of Ramsey and Ozil’s spotlight.

Wilshere believes his game is more suited to an attacking role,

“I’m not really a defensive midfielder … I’d say I was an attacking midfielder.”

And yet he loves to carry the ball from deep, break up attacks and dictate play; all attributes that would allow him to act both defensively and offensively. With Ramsey due back in the coming weeks and the formidable strength in depth in the midfield department, it is hard to see how Wilshere will fit into the strongest line-up but Wenger currently does not need to field his strongest team week in week out, he can now compliment his younger players with the experience, versatility and quality of proven international players in order to keep players fresh and maintain our title push.

I am not by any means disregarding Wilshere’s impact this season as one of a youth or reserve player but I am suggesting that Wenger does not feel the need to field him in every game, allowing him to play in games that suit his robust style and combination play. He is clearly a talented player but that alone does not make him infallible, he needs to work for his place in the same way that Ramsey, Gibbs and Szczesny all have; the difference though is that when they were having bad games last season there was no evident re
placement to be made which inevitably heaped more pressure on them to perform. With the options at Wenger’s disposal, Wilshere can afford to concentrate on the parts of his game that have been lacking, one of which we saw on Monday night, his final ball and end product.

With Ozil, Arteta, Flamini and Rosicky in the squad, one would hope that Wilshere can see the qualities they bring to the team and hope to emulate them. If he can learn the art of picking up pockets of space the way Ozil does in games, whilst learning from the calming influence of Arteta’s metronomic passing, the decision making and communication (pointy finger thing) of Flamini and the high tempo pressing and forward play that Rosicky demonstrates then we have a player who’s talent will match his tutelage.

With the quality of player, the most influential long term manager in modern football and our attractive style of play, Arsenal is certainly looking like an appealing proposition for any young player looking to fulfill their potential, let’s hope Jack makes good use of this golden opportunity.

Til next time,

JR

Follow on Twitter