On the 31st of March 2010, Jack Wilshere arrived at the Emirates Stadium not to play but to watch his club take on the best midfield in the world at the time in the first leg of the round of 8 between Barcelona and Arsenal. The match ended 2-2. This match shows how much Jack Wilshere achieved soon into his short career.

Less than a year after that match, Wilshere was playing against Barcelona in the Champions League as a starter and not a spectator. Not only did Jack play his best ever game against Barcelona's midfielder trio, but he pulled THE best match performance any midfielder ever had against Barcelona Pep.

Michael Cox started a series in 2020 in which he reevaluated individual performances and whether they were actually as good as we remember them. The series included Zidane's performance against Brazil in 2006's World Cup. The first article of that series was about Jack Wilshere's performance against Barcelona in 2011.

How Well Did Wilshere Do?

I personally would rather people read the article itself But here are the highlights for me:

• The general context was against Wilshere completely and suggested that he wouldn't anything because:

A) The man was 19 years old

and

B) In the previous fixture I mentioned, despite the result, Arsenal were outclassed by Pep's Barca by every definition.

• Arsenal were completely flummoxed by Barcelona’s intense press during the fixture the year before and right in front of Wilshere's eyes. Arsenal's midfield couldn't keep the ball for even seconds.

• Two out of three of that midfield were second and third in the Ballon d'Or race by the end of that year.

• Wilshere's partners in the midfield, Fabregas and Alex Song were completely out of form. The beginning of the game was very difficult for Arsenal as its most experienced midfielders weren't able to do anything.

The most impressive thing about Jack Wilshere's performance is that it improved throughout the match. He gained confidence while people around him were losing it. He took responsibility when people who were supposed to take it couldn't.

"Spanish Technique with an English Heart" - Arsène Wenger

That's what Wilshere was. With the ball, Wilshere was a Spanish player, without it, he was an English player. A mix of two styles that Wenger to do either of it but never both. A spirit of a player that is still missing until now in Arsenal.

Wilshere wasn't scared of getting forward and fighting for each ball. Wilshere's stats after the match were impressive as well:

• He ended the match with 93% pass accuracy. That percentage is more impressive when you remember it is against 2010 Barcelona's midfield.

• He provided a great contribution to Arsenal's goals in that match.

• He had four dribbling attempts, all successful. The only player who dribbled more than him in that match was Lionel Messi.

• He lost the ball the least in Arsenal and second overall behind Sergio Busquets.

The Most Impressive of All

Barcelona were ahead which Forced Wenger to push in all his attackers leaving a 19-year-old Wilshere to be a defensive midfielder. He was the main reason Arsenal didn't break under pressure. Whenever Arsenal needed to get the ball forward, they relied on him. Simply put, Wilshere did everything a midfielder could do in that match.

He was the main reason Arsenal beat Barcelona that game even without his name on the scoring sheet. You can watch below a highlight of his performance that night.

After the Match

Xavi said that Wilshere is far from being an English player and he could easily end up being the best player of his generation. Xavi also said that Pep Guardiola himself kept following Wilshere and talked to them a lot about him. Also, Dani Alves suggested that Wilshere joins Barcelona to become the new Xavi or Iniesta.

In the summer of 2011, Wilshere ended the season not only as the best English talent that season but also as a nominee to take over Fabregas' armband to become Arsenal's captain.

That's Where The First Problem Appeared

By the end of that season, Jack Wilshere played 55 matches. That number may seem low now but 10 years ago that wasn't normal for a 19-year-old player in his first season as a starter. Wenger warned the English FA against calling him to the Under-21 European Championship in the summer as he played so much that he was in the "red zone", meaning he is hitting the point of exhaustion and could easily get injured.

The number of games isn't the main issue. The main issue is that this is Arsenal we're talking about in the 2010s. A club ravaged by mysterious injuries everywhere you look, a phenomenon that people can't explain even today. But, more on that in the next part.

In Conclusion

In modern terms, the only players whose first season was as good as Jack Wilshere's would be Pedri and Jude Bellingham, less so the latter. To become such an important part of your team at such a young throughout such tough games is something very few players were able to do. Jack Wilshere's start with Arsenal justified the predictions of a bright future.

As the world forgets about the context of certain events it is important to document those so they don't become trivial things that are easy to write off.