Gunners star modeling his game on former Reds ace.
Arsenal and England midfielder Jack Wilshere has revealed he has been watching clips of former Liverpool star Xabi Alonso on his iPad, according to the Daily Mirror.
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The 22-year-old, who has been criticised for his form this season, admits he is keen to emulate the intelligent playing style of the Spanish playmaker, who now plays for Bayern Munich after a successful spell with Real Madrid.
One of the finest midfielders in the Premier League during his time at Anfield, Alonso is certainly a fine player for Wilshere to try and copy, while the Gunners man has also expressed his admiration for Juventus and Italy metronome Andrea Pirlo.
Although Wilshere has not nailed down a regular position in his career so far, playing both as an attacking midfielder, either centrally or on either flank, as well as a more defensive-minded player, it appears that he wants to work on becoming more of a deep-lying ball player in the Alonso or Pirlo mould.
Wilshere has been in awe of some of Alonso’s passing statistics, and feels he can learn a lot from watching the 32-year-old on a regular basis and trying to mimic his playing style.
“I have been watching Xabi Alonso on video in the past couple of weeks,” he said. “He had a record number of passes in one game, 200 in one match, which is ridiculous.
“Watching players like him and Andrea Pirlo you learn how intelligent they are on the ball. In that role it’s important to understand that if you lose the ball the opposition are in a dangerous position to counter-attack.
“You learn how they use the ball and you learn when it’s a good time to dribble or sometimes pass. I enjoy playing that role. I enjoy getting on the ball and starting attacks.
“I get clips of Alonso through on my iPad. The analyst guys here send them to me and they highlight some of his key points, his key strengths. It’s a 20- to 25-minute package.”