Jack Wilshere Needs to be West Ham’s Midfield Leader

West Ham’s performance against Liverpool was pitiful. The Hammers’ midfield was the root of the problem as Liverpool were able to pass without much effort through Noble and Rice and attack the back line. Does this early season midfield mess dictate a changing of the guard for West Ham’s midfield?

Any time a team loses big one has to look at the defensive backline to take the majority of the blame. Despite West Ham losing 4-0 to Liverpool in their season-opening match, all eyes should be fixated midfield for the defensive woes. The trio of Mark Noble, Declan Rice, and Jack Wilshere didn’t do enough to stop Liverpool from counter-attacking their way into West Ham’s penalty area at will.

Scapegoats?

Two myths need dispelling before jumping into West Ham’s midfield. Firstly Masuaku and Fredericks did as well as you could expect against Mane and Salah. The Liverpool attack is so skilled and spread out that even with these fullbacks tracking back there were too many options for the wingers to score or create.

Secondly, Balbuena and Ogbonna were overrun at center-back but shouldn’t be (fully) to blame. Ogbonna played the majority of last season in a back three and clearly needs more time to adjust to the more responsible role in this defensive partnership. Balbuena was in his first Premier League game and looked sharp. He wasn’t beaten in the air and impacted the game at both ends on set pieces.

Enter the midfield…

Now, why was the back four so pressured by Liverpool? Believe it or not, it was due to inept tracking in midfield. Throughout the game, Liverpool would break up the wing and pull West Ham wide. Once opened up, Naby Keita and Georginio Wijnaldum would walk into West Ham’s penalty area and provide Mane and Salah more options for attack.

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The defensive midfield position in Pellegrini’s 4-1-4-1 formation was occupied by Rice, and

unfortunately, his performance didn’t flatter him. When Noble was switched to that role there was little improvement in the side. Only when Snodgrass came on to start the second half did West Ham start to actually pressure Liverpool. Why? Because Jack Wilshere was able to sit deeper and apply more pressure on Keita and Wijnaldum.

With Wilshere at the helm of central midfield, West Ham was able to push back, albeit in a limited manner. Snodgrass pressured the Liverpool midfielders in the role Wilshere was in, while Wilshere settled and looked to outlet the ball from the midfield. With Antonio and Anderson committed back as far as they were there were few options outside of Snodgrass and Arnautovic to move the ball to, but West Ham looked more organized.

Wilshere Building Block for Irons:

By no means is Noble done as a Premier League player, or is Rice not cut out for the midfield, I mean come on, it was Liverpool at Anfield, but there is one conclusion that should be made after this game. West Ham’s central midfield should be Jack Wilshere penned in first, and his partner(s) to be played upon form.

For Wilshere, his time at West Ham will require a lot more heavy lifting than his time at Arsenal. If West Ham are going to succeed this season and in the foreseeable future it will be on the back of him now. He is the perfect bridge from Noble to Rice and provides exceptional skill and talent for the current team and the team of the future.

Regardless of formation, moving forward Wilshere should be the one solidified midfielder. Rice is clearly the future of the club and Noble the current leader of the team, but there needs to be a passing of the guard eventually. What Wilshere allows is for Noble to slowly step back in playing time, and for Rice to focus on developing his game as a defensive midfielder.

High expectations have surrounded Wilshere his entire life as a professional footballer. The difference for Wilshere now that he has traded his Arsenal red for West Ham claret and blue, is that the expectations are not just focused on him, but rather how he can help change this team into a Premier League contender.

No pressure, Jack!