Jack Wilshere shows signs of improvement - will Arsene Wenger change tactics to accommodate him?

Jack Wilshere and his bionic ankles got another run out for Arsenal in their 1-0 win over Red Star Belgrade on Thursday evening and drew high praise from pundits and fans alike, with Martin Keown effusing the midfielder is capable of things a "mere mortal could only dream of".

With several under-performing stars and Wilshere's impressive Europa League form, is there a chance he might win a place in the first team? Is Jack Wilshere back?! 

Where does Wilshere fit in?

Wilshere is at his best in advanced central areas, as he played against Red Star as the left of the two number 10s in Arsenal's 3-4-3, a tactical system introduced to help stabilise the defence and create two positions behind the central striker. Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez have dibs on these roles.

Ozil's poor start to the season should leave his place in jeopardy, meaning Aaron Ramsey, Alex Iwobi, Danny Welbeck, Theo Walcott and Wilshere must compete for a starting slot alongside Alexis Sanchez.

It would make sense for Wilshere to start as the right-sided attacking midfielder, able to cut onto his favoured left foot and move into the vacant 10 space during attacks. Wenger really seems to enjoy shunting attackers into central midfield roles though and there is every chance Wilshere ends up as the latest experimental partner for Granit Xhaka. 

Wenger is set on a 3-4-3 this season and the team is far more balanced when Mohamed Elneny does the dog work next to the less mobile Xhaka. Wenger has regularly upset this balance by playing the cavalier Ramsey alongside Xhaka and may well see Wilshere as a suitable fit, instead of reverting to a 4-3-3 and playing both Ramsey and Wilshere in their preferred positions.

What Wilshere brings to the team

Ramsey times runs from deep to arrive in the box to score, Ozil floats looking for the final pass and Iwobi buzzes around the place like a fairly harmless wasp - Wilshere is direct and can change the tempo of attacks, taking Arsenal up the pitch instead of passing from side to side.

His ingenuity in situations where Arsenal come up against a stacked defence can be the catalyst for finally breaking it down. Ozil was signed to unlock these doors but has struggled this season.

Wilshere's movement off the ball is excellent and, like Ozil, he tends to adopt positions which make him the creator rather than the focus of attacks. Towards the end of the game against Red Star, Reiss Nelson intercepted a loose pass and raced from his own half to the other. Wilshere moves inside from the left and shouts for the ball.

The obvious one-two would have sent the young winger clean through on goal but Nelson is tackled before he can make the pass. Ramsey's favourite trick is to attack this space himself, while Wilshere and Ozil like to leave it open for someone else to run into. 

However, Wilshere brings something different to the table. He likes to force opportunities and matters into his own hands, unlike the more passive Ozil, who will always go sideways if the pass he wants isn't an option, or Ramsey, who looks to run in behind when given half a chance.

In the buildup to Arsenal's goal, Wilshere wanders into the space between the lines of defence, links the passing move and drops back 10 yards, to where the space now is.

Instead of passing sideways or backwards, Wilshere trusts his ability to turn his man and with one quick-smart turn takes the entire midfield out, putting Arsenal on the front foot.

Arsenal need a player who can change the tempo of their buildup play like this - Wilshere can do exactly that. 

The problem with getting Wilshere in the team

With Sanchez and Ozil in the team, there's no room for another number 10 and Arsenal look far more settled with Elneny and Xhaka as a midfield two in Wenger's 3-4-3, one providing a range of passing and the other working tirelessly to patrol and protect central areas. 

For this reason, Wilshere would only continue to create problems for Arsenal were he accommodated in a deeper role. He isn't as effective at winning the ball as Elneny, doesn't have the range of passing of Xhaka and likes to take risks. 

Furthermore, if either Ozil or Ramsey starts in the number 10 position further ahead, they will tend to be in the space that Wilshere wants to attack when on the ball, congesting the pitch.

If Wilshere is the playmaker in midfield, Arsenal don't need Xhaka, who is not the positionally astute defensive midfielder many hoped he might be. Wilshere does bring bite, determination and aggression to a team derided for its lack of cojones, to quote Troy Deeney, but as ever with Arsenal, he is a oddly-shaped peg that Wenger must force into a round hole.

Perhaps Wenger had it right all along when he was building a 4-3-3 with Wilshere and Ramsey able to take turns at bursting from midfield with an anchor between them. Mikel Arteta didn't provide the steel needed in that pivot role, Wenger never signed the player he needed to make it work and so changed to a 4-2-3-1 to get the most out of the players he had, with Cazorla adapted to a deeper position alongside a myriad of mismatched partners.

Wenger's recurring dilemma at Arsenal is one of compromise, never really getting the most out of a talented group of players by trying to include all of them at once. The same problems exist at Arsenal no matter the team shape - is Wilshere the piece to solve the puzzle?