Rise of the Trequartista

Jack Wilshere's recent run in Arsenal's first team has highlighted his potential importance to any success enjoyed by both the Gunners and England in years to come. Seen as the long-term replacement for Cesc Fabregas in an Arsenal shirt, his last few performances have impressed both fans and pundits alike.

His performance in the Carling Cup against Tottenham Hotspur was nothing short of magical and it was hard to come to terms with the fact that the boy is in fact just that: only 18 years old. Even against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon he hardly put a foot wrong. Although he didn't make the impact he perhaps would have liked against the champions, he didn't look out of place in an Arsenal side that just couldn't penetrate an iron Chelsea defence.

Analysing Wilshere's game from the few games in which I've seen him play, he is quite simply a delight to watch. There have been many great passers of the football down the years and there is no reason why this boy can't be up there with the best of them. Undoubtedly there are aspects of his game that could be improved: clearly he's not yet an accomplished ball winner. However, when he has the ball at his feet then his skill is a joy to behold. His technique and range of passing is not far off the standards enjoyed by Barcelona and their supporters. Coupled with the vision and eye for a pass, it's no wonder that Arsene Wenger is playing him regularly in the first team.

For many years the FA's proposed football centre at Burton has been shelved countless times while money has been thrown at a host of expensive short term solutions that have failed. One of the reasons why Germany were so successful at the World Cup in South Africa was a heavy investment in youth over a decade ago. Mesut Ozil was the star of their run to the semi-finals and his example (along with the academies championed by Barcelona and Wenger at Arsenal) proves once and for all that the cultivation of talented youth is the only way forward for this country.

Whilst Wilshere may not be the next Messi/Pele/Maradona, surely people can see how this young player has been developed and how Arsenal are reaping the rewards. It's high time the blazers at the FA took a long hard look at themselves and made a decision: investment in youth for a stable future? Or wheeling out old, past-it players headed by yet another expensive, ineffective foreign import.