Arsene Wenger Reveals Wilshere couldn’t kick Ball well Before Manchester City Clash
Arsene Wenger has revealed that Jack Wilshere had not been able to kick the ball properly due to injuries in his ankles, prior to his impressive performance against Manchester City on Saturday.
Wenger said that for a long time, the midfielder, whose career has been marked by consistent injuries to his ankles, had been working on his feet by making them accustomed to weights. This had however affected his technique, particularly his shooting.
“For a long time Jack did not kick the ball well because of his ankle,” Wenger said. “Now, in training, you see he kicks the ball well and he works on his finishing. I feel his shot, with his ankle, is clean again. He has found his power back.
“He stays on his feet, which is the big difference. When he was not as confident, he would push on his ankle and go down on his body. He is more solid in this aspect. I was very happy with his finishing and he looked dangerous in the first half as well because he has found his pace back. That, for a while, was not the case.”
Meanwhile, City manager, Manuel Pellegrini has also complained that there had been fouls in the buildup to both Arsenal goals and he was deeply disappointed about a penalty was not awarded against Wilshere.
He said: “It is very difficult because all the teams will try to beat us because we are the champions. In our previous game, against Stoke, it was very difficult against a team who played very well and we had a clear penalty for Yaya Touré that they didn’t whistle. Against Arsenal, it was unbelievable – two fouls on the two goals and the clear penalty with Wilshere. Strong teams and referees, at this moment, are not helping.”
Arsenal also has new fears now as new signing, defender Mathieu Debuchy will be out for three months, thanks to an ankle injury.
