The midfield position in Arsenal is being contested between talented players such as: Mesut Ozil, Theo Walcott, Santi Cazorla, Tomas Rosicky, Mikel Arteta, Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey and the newest arrival to the team Alexis Sanchez who usually performs as a striker but can also be deployed as a winger.

Having so many players at his disposal Arsene Wenger has given a certain type of ultimatum or warning towards Jack Wilshere as the French tactician stated that this must be the year for Jack Wilshere to stand out and hopefully steer clear away from all the series of injuries that the English midfielder has been suffering from in these past seasons.

Injuries have always troubled Jack Wilshere as it made him unable to play for the entire season of 2011-12 and during the previous season he had to miss over 6 weeks of action after sustaining a hairline fracture on his left foot.

Wilshere is now recovered from the injuries and he made an impressive performance againstManchesterCityin the match that Arsenal claimed the Community Shield title. Even though Wilshere did not make a mark on the score-sheet he was still noticed during the 68 minutes he spent on the pitch before being replaced. The English midfielder provided his teammates with sleek passes and just seemed to be comfortable throughout the entire match.

It’s a great way to start the season not only for Arsene Wenger as he added another trophy to his closet but more importantly for Jack Wilshere as the Englishman needed a match of this caliber to prepare himself for what lies ahead.

Arsene Wenger believes that this year will be huge for Jack Wilshere as he is finally recovered from the string of injuries and now it’s his time to shine and turn into one of the main figures for Arsenal.

Wenger said: “It’s an important year for Jack, very important,” Wenger said. “He is only 22, but he has enough experience to say he is not a young player any more. This is a guy who starts games and is expected to make a difference at this stage of his career. For him, the problem until now was medical, but I think he is over it. This is the first time he has not missed a session since the start of the pre-season preparations. His ankle is fine and you can see he trains without restriction’’

This statement of Arsene Wenger will serve as a way to encourage Jack Wilshere to perform at his best but at the same time it’s also a certain type of ultimatum as Wenger is well aware of the fierce competition in the midfield that is being disputed between all the skillful players that are on the squad and Wilshere has to secure his place in the starting lineup of Wenger just like everyone else.

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has revealed his admiration for former England international Paul Scholes, who he thinks is one of the best midfielders of all-time. He says that he has been getting inspirational talk from the former Manchester United man who has not retired from all forms of football. Ironically, Scholes, who recently appeared as a pundit for the Swansea vs Arsenal match, criticised Wilshere heavily for his performances in the 2-2 draw with the Welsh outfit. According to the former United midfielder, Wilshere has not made a lot of progress when he burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old.

The midfielder, now a 22-year-old, has replied that he will be taking in positive criticism from the midfielder, who he thinks is the best. He says that he would have worried about his form had come from a poor player, but since it comes from one of the best in the world, he will take this in a positive manner. Wilshere is expected to be named in the England squad for the World Cup 2014. He will be one of the important players, but after having not played a World Cup previously, it will be uncharted territory for him.

England captain Steven Gerrard has stated in the past that he expects Wilshere to one day captain the team.

“I respect him so much and I think he can make a great coach for any young player. I am a young player, he has been there and done it so I wanted to hear what he had to say. If it had come from a rubbish player, I could say ‘what are you talking about?’, but it came from Paul Scholes, so I wanted to get to the bottom of it. I hurt a bit more when he did it [though],” said Wilshere.

Arsenal are looking at the possibility of a crisis in midfield after Arsene Wenger revealed that the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil, and Jack Wilshere could all miss the trip to White Hart Lane during the weekend. Arsenal will be making this trip to face archrivals Tottenham knowing that this match could not have come at a worse time for the club. They have just been knocked out of the Champions League at the last 16 stage itself, while the numerous injuries in the midfielder could be a major blow to Arsenal’s title hopes.

This has not been a good hunting ground for Arsenal in recent years. They already trail table leaders Chelsea by several points. More dropped points could mean the end of the title race for Arsenal since there are only nine matches left in the season. Ramsey, who had been one of the best players for Arsenal this campaign with 13 goals for far, has not played for the club since December. Ozil started brilliantly, but he has been in poor form over the last few weeks. Wilshere has been in and out of the team since the start. Despite this, all three players could be unavailable for the match against Tottenham.

Ramsey was expected to be back in contention, but he has now suffered a setback in his rehabilitation according to Wenger.

“We have had to defer his comeback to full training so he is not available. He is having difficulties in the final stages of his rehab. It looks to be short term. He’s [Ozil] out. I don’t know for how long but it is a hamstring injury. There are scans going on. Kallstrom joins the normal training group today and Sanogo too. I will have to decide if Kallstrom is okay to be in the squad on Sunday. I will see how he looks. It is not impossible,” said Wenger.