JACK WILSHERE SAYS says his drought-breaking double for England against Slovenia stemmed from watching a documentary on Paul Gascoigne ahead of the Euro 2016 qualifier.
Wilshere scored twice in Sunday’s 3-2 triumph, his first goals in 28 international outings as the England maintained their 100% start in Group E, building up a six-point lead at the top.
Gascoigne was the subject of a recent documentary and Wilshere has revealed that the former Newcastle and Tottenham man’s approach is similar to his own.
“It did inspire me,” Wilshere told reporters. “You could tell by the way he played for England that he didn’t feel any fear. He was over that.
“Sometimes when people play for their country I think there is that little bit of fear and pressure. But he just wanted to go out there. He felt at his best when he was playing and I sometimes feel that way.”
Wilshere equalised for England at 1-1 with a sharp finish from the edge of the box in the 57th minute, before putting the visitors in front with stunning blast from slightly further out with 17 minutes remaining.
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Despite sitting further back than he generally has throughout his career, Wilshere claimed it allows him to use his football nous to get involved in England’s attacking thrusts at the right time.
“A big part of the role is that when we’re attacking, I’m backing up play,” Wilshere added
“You’re not defending at that stage, but you are trying to stop the counter-attack if it happens. You’re trying to read where the ball will drop. You can go to the edge of the box and the ball might drop to you.
“But it’s the balance that’s important. Sometimes you have to shield and sometimes you have to press.”
