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Your support makes all the difference.The calls for Jack Wilshere to be recalled after a 16-month lay-off through injury will reach a crescendo tomorrow. After two dispiriting defeats and an acrimonious club AGM, Arsenal need a lift when they face QPR at the Emirates and the England midfielder is the man.
Arsène Wenger's team were witless in the middle as they suffered serious setbacks against Norwich City and Schalke, barely creating a single good goal-scoring chance in 180 minutes of slow, ponderous play.
Wilshere (right) has just completed another full game for the Arsenal Under-21s and would be the perfect antidote, adding creative coherence and renewed hope for disgruntled fans. Wenger appears more inclined to use the 20-year-old off the bench after his ankle, heel and knee problems, saying only yesterday: "I have to consider him. We'll make a decision tomorrow."
But the potential impact Wilshere could make should not be underestimated. With his dancing feet and his Gascoigne-burst, the midfielder can set the tempo of attack where Santi Cazorla has been swamped and the team blunted.
As good as Aaron Ramsey's touch and vision are, Wilshere is so much more assertive. Not many English players combine bravery with technical skill, but Wilshere is perhaps the most obvious to do so since Wayne Rooney.
"They are similar types, yes," said Wenger. "Jack is a guy you can give balls to, to create openings with his passing."
If Wilshere returns, it will feel like a very different team from that in which he last played at the end of the 2010-11 season, when Arsenal still had Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Alex Song. The main men now are Mikel Arteta and Cazorla, neither of whom Wilshere has played with.
Such a long absence could cause unforeseen problems but Wilshere has improved with each game back.
He played 62 tiring minutes at the Hawthorns on 1 October. A week later, he played 74 minutes for the Under-21s against Reading and was much better, making both goals in a 2-0 win.
Since then, Wilshere has played 90 minutes in a friendly against Chelsea and then again on Monday afternoon, in a 2-1 win at Everton when he was again involved in both goals. Wenger said: "We even have to calm him down. He goes for every challenge and has no apprehension."
Fear, the Frenchman insists, will not be a factor. "If you protect the ball and somebody tackles you from behind and kills your knee, when you come back it will be difficult to protect the ball in the same position," Wenger said. "Jack has none of that. He has not been injured in a specific tackle."
And asked if Wilshere can fully recover, Wenger said: "It is not possible, it is certain. He will be a better player. At his age it is no problem."
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