Wilshere started and finished the greatest ever Premier League goal. Now he stands on the brink of greatness... and the England captaincy



The time was just before 3.20pm on Saturday afternoon and part of me wanted football to stop.



Greatness had been achieved, there was nothing that could be more perfect than that goal from England’s Jack Wilshere. Described as near-perfect by Arsene Wenger.

Yes, yes, Pajtim Kasami scored a great goal for Fulham at Crystal Palace, but that was an individual effort. In England it never ceases to amaze me how so many fans and pundits and players seem to value smashing a ball from 25 yards as a greater skill than passing the ball, first time, with accuracy and invention. Almost certainly it’s part of the reason English football has struggled. We look for football excellence but don’t know what we’re actually looking for.

VIDEO Scroll down to watch Jack Wilshere's Sportsmail Freestyle



Wonder strike: Jack Wilshere starts and finishes a brilliant team goal as Arsenal slice through Norwich













Football is a team game, and the goals that involve passing the ball through the opponents will always catch my eye more than any other. Jack’s tweet was too modest. On another day, Kasami will blast 10 of those efforts into row Z.

Jack’s goal was really special. He started the move and that first touch of the ball deep in his own half was a contradiction — delicate yet instantly letting 60,000 people know who was in command of the football. He was in control.

A Gazza-like dummy and slight delay confused the opponent before he sent the ball out wide and set off into the opposition half.

Always available, Wilshere received the ball again. Back to Santi Cazorla, to Olivier Giroud, Wilshere surging towards the box receives it again – one touch, he flicks it back to Giroud, straight back and with a cool, calm, assured side-foot finish Wilshere put his name to the greatest goal the Premier League has seen.

But he didn’t just finish off other people’s work. He started it, controlled it, orchestrated it, and demanded a level of greatness from his team-mates, and they happily obliged.

He scored a great goal (with his weaker foot) and now Wilshere is on the brink of greatness. It is right there in front of him, he just has to dive in head first and soak it up.

He is a future captain for club and country.

He is the man Wenger is embracing more than any other, more than Ozil or Ramsey. They get the headlines but Wilshere is the one Wenger is most proud of.



That’s so obvious. Wenger has raised him from a boy, in football terms.

If Roy Hodgson and future England managers have any common sense, Wilshere will be the player they build the team around.

Earlier this year Wenger said Michael Carrick was good enough to play for Barcelona. I’ll pay Wilshere a bigger compliment – he would comfortably fit into the current Bayern Munich side.

In this country we yearn for players who are comfortable on the ball. Players with technique, flair and imagination, and match-winners whose ability can elevate a team beyond what you think they might be able to achieve.

Jack Wilshere is one of those players.

He could be about to take Arsenal and England to places neither has been to in recent years. He’s that good.

Stunning: Wilshere rounded off an Arsenal move which included some sumptuous one-touch football

Rival: Pajtim Kasami scored a stunning goal for Fuham (above) that prompted Wilshere to tweet (below)

None of the four nations to qualify from Asia are in the world’s top 40. In other words, they’re all worse than Scotland.

In qualifying, Australia lost away to Jordan and couldn’t beat Oman home or away. Iran lost at home to Uzbekistan, and away to Lebanon. Yet both Australia and Iran will be at the global festival of football that is the World Cup next summer.



Japan will be there, despite being level in the world rankings with Wales. South Korea are below the Welsh yet they’re heading for Brazil.



Sure, the rankings system is flawed. But nowhere near as messed up as FIFA’s qualification process.



If the World Cup’s priority is to ensure there is a geographical spread of nations then they will succeed.

But the net result will be a World Cup possibly featuring 36-year-old Lucas Neill who now plays for Omiya Ardija — do you even know which country that club is from?*

Missing out: Either Zlatan Ibrahimovic (left) or Cristiano Ronaldo will sit out the World Cup in Brazil next year On the plane: Lucas Neill (left), the 36-year-old former Blackburn defender, will be in Brazil with Australia

Meantime, either Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Cristiano Ronaldo will be sitting at home, despite the fact they are both truly world class, belong at a World Cup, and both represent nations ranked far higher than any of those who qualified from Asia. Sweden and Portugal had qualifying groups way tougher than anything the Aussies had to go through. They’ll be there because FIFA seem desperate to crowbar countries from Asia and Oceania into the tournament.



Football is the loser, good work FIFA. A World Cup without some of the best players in the world.

* For those who were wondering it is, in fact, Japan

I feel the question over John Terry’s possible England return will be posed frequently between now and next summer. It might be pride or ego but I cannot see the Chelsea legend sticking his hand in the air and saying: ‘I’m here Roy, pick me!’



Terry will need to be asked, so should Roy Hodgson do it?



I go back to 2010 and it was such a shambles from Fabio Capello. He literally didn’t know what he was doing. John Terry’s answer was to go to the press and say he was born to lead England, beat his chest and lead the charge. He wasn’t even the captain.



Part to play: John Terry (left) could yet force his way into the England squad for the World Cup next summer

John Terry to make England’s World Cup squad................. 8/1





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This resulted in England being humiliated by Germany, a game in which Terry was one of several England players who let us all down.



But that was then. Terry’s foolishness cost him a chance to play in a Champions League final victory for Chelsea. And then Rafa Benitez reduced him to the role of bit-part player at Stamford Bridge.



It brought the man who thought he could bulldoze through life doing what he wanted back down to earth.



Whatever you think of Terry, he clearly loves being out on the pitch and Jose Mourinho is the man most likely to get the best out of him.



Do England need him? I’m comfortable with Phil Jagielka and Gary Cahill at centre half. But beyond those two, it’s clearly a position where England lack adequate cover. I was at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and Terry did well, he led a defence that coped with tactical change mid-game, he looked assured and he is still well-loved by the Chelsea fans.



Solid at the back: Gary Cahill and Phil Jagielka have established themselves as England's first-choice pairing

If I was Roy, I’d seriously consider having a chat with Terry. As long as he’s mature enough to know he won’t necessarily be first choice, and that he won’t have any right to think he’s top dog, John Terry’s experience and know-how could be useful in Brazil.



I think Terry would love the chance to play at one more World Cup.



I enjoyed reading Kevin Kilbane’s piece on MailOnline about his old mate David Weir being sacked by Sheffield United. It almost made me feel sorry for Weir. ‘The industry has let him down,’ said Kilbane. ‘Hard working and honest’ is how he described his old team mate. Admirable qualities, but not necessarily qualities that have any bearing on your ability to manage a football club properly.

The industry didn’t let anyone down. The industry gave Weir a chance at a massive club, and he had to hit the ground running because you’ve got to be pretty naive if you think Sheffield United Football Club are going to just stand by and let you keep on losing.



Let’s face it you don’t take that job and expect to get away with being in the bottom four in League One. It’s a club with a history of high turnover of managers, and with a tendency to sack managers who get relegated, which isn’t unreasonable.

So the usual cliché from ‘within the game’ is that clubs should stick with managers and give them more time.



No sympathy: David Weir (left) and Tony Mowbray were both sacked because results were not good enough



That’s what Tony Mowbray got – more time. And Middlesbrough are still useless.



He snatched nothing from the jaws of automatic promotion last season. Top in November and then Boro won three of their final 21 games to slump to mid-table.



This season it’s still mediocre at best although hats off to Mowbray for achieving the impossible and losing at home to Accrington Stanley in the Capital One Cup. This is a side yet to win a League Two game this season.



Mowbray was a Middlesbrough legend as a player, he’s also one of the most miserable, grumpy managers I’ve ever had the misfortune to interview. Neither of those facts matter when you ask why he kept his job so long despite little or no imagination on the pitch.



Chairman Steve Gibson is well-liked in football for sticking with his managers. It’s a policy that has ensured mediocrity at Middlesbrough for far too long.



Sticking with managers is a great policy if they’re good at their job.



Adrian Durham will be signing copies of his book 'Is He All That?' at the club shop from 6pm before Peterborough play Sheffield United on Tuesday at London Road.



