THE conversation inevitably turned to Jack Wilshere post match in the Stozice stadium and the name-dropping duly began.
Aaron
Ramsey, Andrea Pirlo, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Toni Kroos, Steven Gerrard,
Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick were all mentioned, not
always at the manager's instigation, but their relevance remained
regardless.
Wilshere had spent the flight to
Slovenia watching a documentary on Paul Gascoigne and while he boasts a
talent which demands comparison, more importantly for England is that it
is now fulfilled. Sunday has to be just a start - and another one at
that.
The brace battered beyond Samir Handanovic
were Wilshere's first goals for his country since he was playing for
the Under-17s and reasserted England's control in a contest they should
never have allowed to slip out of their grasp.
Yet
in helping England to a sixth straight Euro 2016 qualifying win, and
ensuring they finished the season undefeated for the first time in 24
years, it was Wilshere's desire to set the tempo, to keep his team-mates
on the front foot and to accept responsibility which fired the
imagination - providing he can stay fit.
England
are searching for someone to stamp their authority on matches and step
into the void created by the retirements of Gerrard and Lampard. Someone
who can look to become what Pirlo has been to Italy or Kroos to
Germany. Spain's Xavi and Iniesta will forever remain a level above.
"I
would like to hope that you don't put that much pressure on him," said
England coach Roy Hodgson following the 3-2 victory. "I would like it if
your attitude towards him was the same as mine: he's been fantastic.
"To
come back three times from serious ankle injuries. To go on the field
in the autumn, we didn't have him in the spring, then to come back to us
again and to really take hold of games and control them with the
quality of his passing, his movement and his dribbling ability.
"That is fantastic. I hope he continues in that vain. I don't want to push any more demands his way.
"If
we can bottle up what Jack has been doing in these games against
Ireland and Slovenia, that would do me nicely. Hopefully it will attract
his manager's attention and hopefully Arsene [Wenger] will give him a
few more games as well.
"We have had it in the
past. In the England teams I enjoyed watching there were those type of
players. We had Scholes, Gerrard, Lampard and it is normal when players
of that quality retire there can be a little gap or opportunity.
"I hope that Jack, along with Carrick, who we have great faith and belief in, can step up."
Hodgson's
referencing of Wenger was key because not only does Wilshere perform a
deeper-lying role for England than at Arsenal, he is not certain of a
starting position at club level. There is Santi Cazorla, Francis
Coquelin and Ramsey even before Wenger peruses the summer transfer
market. When Wilshere said last week he would stay at Arsenal for as
long as he was "wanted", the emphasis was clear.
In
fairness to Wenger, and Hodgson knows this all too well, he cannot pick
Wilshere if he is not available. But the challenge runs deeper than
simply making himself available: it is about fulfilling the prophecies
laid down for him when he burst onto the scene at 16, and certainly
England want the goals which illuminated events in Ljubljana to become
the norm notwithstanding the role he is being handed.
Ramsey has scored 29 goals in 83 appearances for club and country in the past two seasons. Wilshere has nine in 78.
"Aaron
plays in a much more advanced position," said Hodgson. "Where we have
been using Jack is as a pivotal central midfield player and there is no
reason why he cannot score more goals.
"With
the quality of his shooting here it shows that. We will be encouraging
it that's for sure because we don't want him playing behind players. We
want him playing level with them.
"We don't want
to hold him back in front of the back four, we want to push him forward
and he will get into those areas 30 yards from goal and make those
little chips and slide balls, and shooting from distance. He seems to
enjoy it and I enjoyed his performance."
Hodgson
passed on whether Wilshere is closer to Scholes than say a Gerrard.
"The best person to ask is Gary Neville," he added. "I was abroad when
Paul was in his heyday. Of course I remember him, I coached teams
against him, but they are different players.
"Paul
was a goalscorer from midfield and he was a long passer, the same way
Gerrard was. Jack has a unique game. He has the ability to receive balls
on the turn, to twist and turn past players in the same movement, his
vision in that respect he could probably be compared to Paul.
"England have had these quality players and if we are going to be a good side we need them as well."
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