Wilshere Makes England Euro 2016 Squad

This afternoon Roy Hodgson named his final 23-man squad for England ahead of Euro 2016 and our own Jack Wilshere, out of action for nearly the entire 2015/16 season, has made the team and will be on the plane to France.

As an Arsenal fan I am very pleased to hear he'll be representing the club. After Danny Welbeck's late season injury ruling out what was a guaranteed place in the squad, and Theo Walcott's unfortunate but not unsurprising exclusion, Jack will be the sole representative for Gunners fans in this England squad dominated by players from teams I absolutely despise.

Don't get me wrong, as an Englishman I am desperate for my national team to succeed on the international stage. However it is sometimes difficult to cheer and actively support players like Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney when for the majority of the year I don't like them very much at all (to put it mildly.) This England squad in particular is very Tottenham-heavy, making it even more difficult to fully embrace these guys. I will of course cheer and celebrate whoever puts the ball in the net wearing an England shirt, but if it's an Arsenal player it makes the celebration that little bit sweeter. So for Wilshere to be included in the team and to get this opportunity, lets just say I'm very happy with Roy Hodgson's decision to take him.

There has been quite an uproar on social media (what else is new?) over Danny Drinkwater's absence from the squad. Many fans feel aggrieved that the likes of Wilshere and Jordan Henderson, both with doubts about their fitness, have made the team instead of Drinkwater. Wilshere in particular is receiving a great deal of abuse, mainly because he only started 1 game during the 2015/16 season.

The 26 year-old Leicester City midfielder can certainly feel aggrieved at Hodgson's decision to leave him at home. A player who made 35 appearances this season for the League champions, Drinkwater definitely merited serious consideration ahead of Euro 2016.

However, he has a few factors working against him. One of which being Roy Hodgson is a very loyal manager; it's safe to say he has "his boys" and Wilshere and Henderson have long been part of that exclusive club. They've both contributed meaningfully on the international stage, they are known quantities and Hodgson feels comfortable with them. Drinkwater is a relative newcomer to the current England setup, whereas Wilshere has been established in Hodgson's squad for many years now.

Also, whilst Drinkwater is a very talented player, at the international level he's still somewhat unproven. He and Leicester City have had a tremendous season but the level of quality at Euro 2016 may be a step above what Drinkwater is used to. If England make the knockout stages, Drinkwater would be up against some of the very best players in the world, not the scrubs he's used to seeing fielded by the Aston Villa's and Norwich's of the Premier League. Whereas Wilshere has faced the world's best for over half a decade, playing regularly in the Champions League and for England.

Perhaps the biggest factor in Wilshere's favour over Drinkwater is his style of play. Drinkwater, a very capable and workmanlike midfielder, cannot pick a pass or make a turn and drive forward like Wilshere, in fact there are very few who can, hence why Hodgson is so insistent on having him in the squad, regardless of his fitness. I am positive Drinkwater has areas in his game that Wilshere cannot match but the Leicester man does not yet possess the skills that mark him out as "world class." It is a phrase I hate using as it's so unspecific and handed out far too often, yet Jack has exhibited this level of play in the past and been lauded for it.

So I can understand fans feeling Drinkwater has been wronged by Roy Hodgson. But this youthful and dynamic England side is a talented one, and should Drinkwater have made the squad, how many minutes would he have seen anyway? In a very strong midfield, which is likely to see Wayne Rooney crammed in there also, I don't think Drinkwater will have had much of a look in over Henderson, Eric Dier, Dele Alli, James Milner and Ross Barkley, all players who can operate successfully in the centre of the park. Will Jack Wilshere see many minutes either? Perhaps not. However, if that is the case, I would argue that Jack can bring a spark off the bench Drinkwater cannot yet manage, a different option and a vastly different technique to his peers that could prove useful.

England face Portugal in 2 days time in their final warm-up match before taking on Russia in their first Euro 2016 game on 11 June. I expect to see the England manager select a strong lineup against the Portuguese with many indicators on who is first eleven may be ahead of England's first group game against the Russians. Here's hoping Wilshere features prominently and puts in a performance to silence his critics. Lord knows he has plenty of them.

Thanks for reading.

Just One More Win

It's been a while huh? My last post was all the way back in March when we beat Liverpool at Anfield. Since then Arsenal have been on quite the journey. We've been up, we've been down, we've bought Podolski, we've had our new home kit unveiled, we blew the chance to secure 3rd place only to get another opportunity a day later when our closest challengers failed to pounce. So now it all boils down to one final game. Sunday 13th May at The Hawthorns against Roy Hodgson's West Bromwich Albion in his final game in charge before he vacates for the England job. Win this match and Champions League football is guaranteed for next season and in all honesty, finishing in 3rd would be considered a good season when you consider how awful Arsenal have been at times this campaign. They've been wonderful at times too, particularly our irrepressible captain (pictured above), but the majority of Arsenal fans would agree that this hasn't been one of our better seasons (although it's definitely had it's moments). So here are some of my thoughts on the state of the club and all things Arsenal.

It's stating the obvious but still needs to be stressed: we must beat West Brom on Sunday. I can't bear the thought of leaving our position in the hands of Newcastle, Spurs and Chelsea and praying they all lose their final games. If we win, we're in and that's all there is to it. If Arsenal can't beat West Brom, then they don't really deserve 3rd place and that's the honest truth. This squad is more than capable of beating the Baggies but we've been tripped up a couple of times there in the past. It's been said a few times lately but the team really do need to treat this game like a cup final. After the horror show that was Norwich last weekend, the focus must be on executing the basics and fundamentals, limiting mistakes and taking our chances. The pressure will be on van Persie to win this final game but I'd like to see the squad help him out a bit. Despite how amazing he's been this year, we've been far too reliant on his striking prowess and its clear the rest of the team haven't scored enough goals. I'd have an enormous grin on my face if Gervinho and Chamakh popped up with a couple of late goals on Sunday, but it'll never happen.

On the subject of van Persie, the club sound confident that we can sign the captain to a new deal and that we won't have to suffer another awful summer of watching our talisman leave for pastures new. I feel pretty confident he won't leave for Man City or Juventus and that he'll remain our captain for a bit longer. I'd love to say he'd stay at Arsenal for the rest of his career but in today's game you just can't tell. Money talks and it often speaks louder than loyalty. Still, van Persie has always come across as sincere and honest and I believe him when he says he wants to stay at the club for many more years to come. If we can get his signature down before the Euros, I'll be a very happy Gooner.

It's been clear for a while now that van Persie needs some support up front because we can't expect the guy to carry us in every single game. Plus, if the worst happens and the captain goes down with an injury, we really have no one else to replace him up front. So the news that the Podolski signing has been wrapped up before the season has even finished is good news. The experienced German international is in the prime of his career and will only be 27 once the 2012/13 season begins. He's a very good signing and can play up front or out on the left as part of the front trio we like to use so much. Here's hoping he adapts to life in England quickly and can become a dangerous part of our attack. There's been a lot of rumours about the young French midfielder Yann M'Vila and a possible move to Arsenal from Rennes. He'd be a great addition to the team but he will undoubtedly cost a lot of money and certainly more than Arsenal will probably be willing to pay. We already have Song in that position, who I'd hate to replace, even with a player of M'Vila's calibre. Regardless, M'Vila will be one to watch next month at Euro 2012, especially if he could become a potential Arsenal player later in the summer.

Anyway, I'll leave it there for now. I'll be working on Sunday so will miss the West Brom game live, but I'll be keeping an eye on the scoreline the entire afternoon. Keep your eyes peeled for a possible Euro 2012 preview I'm planning too.

Thanks for reading.