Arsene Wenger expecting more pressure on midfield
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said that the prolonged absence of Jack Wilshere will see more pressure heaped on his midfielders as fixtures start to come thick and fast for the North London side.
Wilshere suffered an ankle fracture during England’s European Championship qualifier against Switzerland in June and the youngster could be out for up to five more months meaning the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Mikel Arteta, Alex Song and Abou Diaby will have to play more games than was necessarily intended.
The Arsenal manager stated:
“It makes us a bit shorter in midfield and it puts more pressure on our midfielders to perform week in week out because there is less room for rotation, but every club can be tested on that front so it shouldn’t be any excuse at all. He can come back strongly and help us finish the season well.”
However, Wenger was delighted at news that Wilshere’s recent operation on the injured ankle on Monday went well.
“It was a big relief that the operation went well. The news we have is very positive but the time he will be out is quite long, it changed because the fracture didn’t heal. What I’ve been told is we had to go in quite quickly to repair it.”
Whilst it means there will be added pressure on the midfielders over the next few months it does represent an opportunity for Emmanuel Frimpong to make his mark within the first eleven with the youngster likely to be given numerous chances this season.
