Careless in possession: Is Arsenal’s "Golden Boy" becoming a liability?

Against Manchester City, Arsenal fans saw just how far Jack Wilshere is from his best.

There have been positive performances this season, notably in the 2-0 victory over Marseille in which Arsenal’s number ten grabbed both goals.

However, the mark of a great player is consistency. That is precisely where Wilshere is struggling.

Against City, Wilshere was shockingly poor. Of Arsenal’s outfield players, only Nacho Monreal received a lower Squawka Performance Score. This was arguably Wilshere’s worst performance in an Arsenal shirt to date.

Wilshere’s performance was both technically and physically deficient. His leggy display was all the more alarming when you consider that Wilshere had been completely rested against Napoli in midweek.

Arsenal’s midfielder is renowned for his perceptive passing ability. However, this was not evident against City.

Although Jack Wilshere only misplaced seven of his 41 attempted passes, the passes which went awry should have been simple enough for a player of Wilshere’s undoubted skill to execute.

Wilshere is also well known for what Arsene Wenger calls his “little burst”: a combination of acceleration and skill that allows him to skip beyond opposition midfielders and launch counter-attacks.

However, against Manchester City, the Gunner succeeded with just one of five attempted take-ons.

Wilshere’s inability to win his take-ons meant that he frequently handed possession back to Manchester City, inviting further pressure on the Arsenal goal.

There are mitigating factors for Arsenal’s number ten. Of course, he’s still recovering from the ankle problem that kept him on the sideline for 18 months.

He’s also suffering from being played in unfamiliar positions. Wilshere started the game on the left wing. His inexperience in the role was made clear when he failed to track Pablo Zabaleta’s run in the build-up to City’s second goal.

However, in the second-half, Wilshere was switched to the deep-lying midfield role he favours.

That didn’t improve things. The midfielder was overrun by the likes of Yaya Toure as City scored romped home to their final tally of six.

When it comes to the England international, Arsene Wenger faces something of a conundrum. Wilshere needs game-time to get back to his best — but, playing as he did against City, he is something of a liability.