Jack Wilshere is pushing for a game with the Arsenal first team for the first time in 17 months. The midfielder had been pencilled in to play in the Capital One Cup tie at Reading on Tuesday but his club's recent struggles, with barely a chance created in successive defeats to Norwich and Schalke – make him a compelling option for Saturday's match against Queens Park Rangers.
The temptation for Arsène Wenger to select Wilshere is difficult to resist, even though he is mindful that the player is still "physically at 80 to 85%". Wenger assesses it will take "two months' competition" for the midfielder to reach 100%.
Though his team look in need of a boost – and Wilshere's return after such a long absence would bring that – Wenger's priority is managing the 20-year-old's re-integration into competitive football to minimise any setbacks. He said: "What you have to consider first is that you don't put players in situations … of course they are tired and don't have coordination, and they pick up an injury. That is what you look at.
"After, if you look at a more selfish view, you can say a guy can play an hour. But during this hour it is important that he is fit enough to play. What I am considering is that he wants to play, it is an important game, but we want the players to be ready physically and he has not played for 14 months."
Wilshere last appeared for Arsenal competitively in May 2011, in a 2-2 draw at Fulham. A cap for England two weeks later took his total matches for club and country to 54 for the season. The following month, his troubles flared up during a pre-season friendly against the New York Red Bulls. A stress fracture, and subsequent ankle problems, led to numerous setbacks and prolonged sessions of rehabilitation. He has played in a handful of under-21s fixtures and closed-doors friendlies over the past month to develop his match fitness.
Wilshere is desperate to play. He was on the bench for last Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Norwich and felt ready to come on to help his struggling team. He may not have to wait much longer. Wenger does not underestimate the impact the return of Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who is also in contention after an injury, could have this weekend. "It will be vital as some players finished very tired after Schalke," he said. "We look to see how the troops are physically and mentally."
Wenger was alarmed by what he witnessed at Carrow Road – and the consequences. He suggests that defeat to a team they expected to deal with shook his players so deeply the effects carried over into an impotent Champions League display against Schalke, which saw Arsenal lose 2-0 to the German side.
"We were flat. Maybe we had not got rid of the disappointment of the Norwich result," he said. "[Losing against] Chelsea was a big disappointment but we didn't come out of the game thinking that Chelsea was stronger than us. We were stupid as we made mistakes. Norwich was a bit of a different shock. We never created chances. That affected the team much more. Is it physical or confidence? It is difficult to know."
Wilshere's creativity, and what Wenger calls his "little burst", would be a welcome addition to a team who have lost their creative spark. QPR are bound to hound Santi Cazorla, as Chelsea, Norwich and Schalke did, to effectively nullify Arsenal's creative threat. Oxlade-Chamberlain is also hopeful of a return, and in the next couple of weeks Wenger expects Theo Walcott, Abou Diaby, Kieran Gibbs and Wojciech Szczesny to become available.
In the meantime, addressing the weak spot at left-back is on Wenger's mind. In Gibbs's absence André Santos endured a troubled night against Schalke and Bacary Sagna, who has occasionally filled in on the left, is also pressing for a recall after a broken leg. Moving Thomas Vermaelen to left-back and starting Laurent Koscielny in central defence is another option.
With confidence low, there is no complacency about facing opponents without a win in the Premier League – a replica of the situation Norwich found themselves in when they unnerved Arsenal. "It's important to bounce back from the result at Norwich," Wenger said.
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