England international Jack Wilshere deserves to start for Arsenal in Saturday’s North London derby against Tottenham.
Arsenal host bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur Saturday afternoon, and Jack Wilshere will be especially determined to feature.
The midfielder, having progressed through the ranks at the club and played against Tottenham on several occasions, is fully aware of the importance of the occasion, and he will also be hoping to bounce back from the disappointment of suffering a broken leg on his last game against Mauricio Pochettino’s side – when he was on loan at Bournemouth last season.
Wilshere, despite having been fully fit for several weeks, has yet to start a game for Arsenal in the Premier League this season, and has featured just twice as a substitute.
The likelihood is that Wilshere will be on the bench again tomorrow, but Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger should seriously consider giving the 25-year-old a starting berth at the expense of Granit Xhaka.
Xhaka may have been Arsenal’s standout performer in the corresponding fixture against Tottenham last season – which ended in a 1-1 draw – but the Switzerland international has endured a miserable start to the season that has seen him squander possession with regularity and make several avoidable errors.
Wilshere would offer Arsenal more stability, and is a little more direct in his approach, which would lead to Arsenal playing with more cohesion overall.
Furthermore, Wilshere would be especially determined to prove a point to Wenger and demonstrate that he deserves both a regular place in the starting line-up and a new contract.
Wenger has said that he now sees Wilshere as an attacking midfielder in Arsenal’s 3-4-2-1 system but, for this game at least, he should make an exception and deploy him alongside Aaron Ramsey at the base of the Gunners’ midfield. It could make all the difference against a Tottenham team determined to get something out of the game.
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