Ramsey is finally down the road to full recovery at Arsenal
One of the few positives from this Arsenal season has been the transformation of Aaron Ramsey. Although transformation may be a little wide of the mark, there was always a good player in there, it was just about finding the right balance to escape the horrors of the past. In many ways, it’s the rebirth of a player of whom many had extremely high hopes for.
Even before the emergence of Jack Wilshere, it would have been more than appropriate to talk of Ramsey as the natural heir to Cesc Fabregas. In the performances prior to his injury in the 2009/10 season, Ramsey displayed the kind of maturity and intelligence that was familiar to the Spaniard’s game in previous years. Ramsey was skilled, quick of thought, possessed an eye for goal, and at times gave evidence that he was capable of shouldering the load in the absence of Fabregas.
What can never be taken away from the player is his attitude and willingness to take responsibility. What does it say of his character when injuries, the loss of his mentor in Gary Speed and the apparent loss of faith from the majority of Arsenal supporters should have seen him fade under the pressure, but instead emerge as one of the brighter notes as this season draws to a close?
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There was never any sense in Arsene Wenger deploying Ramsey on either of the flanks, despite some degree of success here and there. The player was brought in as a midfielder and should have been retrained in that position once back and fully fit.
The problem is that the topic of Ramsey could often bring up that taboo among Arsenal fans – you sort of know the blame is with the manager, but you don’t really want to shout it from the rooftops. Anyone doing so obviously knows nothing. But like the case with Wilshere in his first full season, Ramsey too should have taken on the role of one of the anchoring midfielders. Fabregas was given the freedom to move further up the pitch with the safety net of Wilshere and Alex Song, and Ramsey should have been given similar guidance in order to regain some semblance of form.
Admittedly it took too long but it did finally arrive. It’s difficult to say whether Wenger’s hand was permanently forced or whether he genuinely saw something in Ramsey and what he could provide alongside Mikel Arteta. These past few weeks have been extremely welcome, as even against the odds Arsenal have found ways to battle against teams who were either superior or who had their number on previous occasions. Ramsey has always been about work rate and offering the necessary components to a well-oiled engine room. You can see in his performances that there is something of a leader in there, while his youth excuses him from always coming to the fore. Moreover, playing alongside a veteran in Arteta can only do wonders for his performances and development.
There was something significant about Arsenal’s second goal at Swansea. Both Gervinho and Ramsey had felt the sting of criticism over the past 18 months, acting as the go-to targets for the supporters’ frustrations. Maybe at any other time you’d have expected one of the two to break down in the way only Arsenal players can. The pressure was on to deliver, and even after some impressive defensive work from the rest of the team, it was important to get that two-goal cushion.
There’s a sense of reliability about Ramsey now, with the hint that you know he’ll make the right decision when it matters. Playing in a natural position has obviously done a lot for him, but that nervous atmosphere that has often been so prevalent at the Emirates seems to be easing a little. Of course, there’s no telling when this Arsenal team will hit the self-destruct button again, but there’s much more trust in Ramsey now and the way he’s been used. Like the rest of the Arsenal team, it’s been about going back to basics.
It is extremely easy to paint the romantic picture that all is well and the corner has been turned for good – it hasn’t. For Ramsey, there will always be that one game where he doesn’t deliver. He still needs to regain that quickness of thought he once had. Playing in the midfield will come far more naturally than playing wide, but the damage of that injury still remains in parts.
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Importantly – and this is the case for many Arsenal players – Ramsey hasn’t been made to feel that he is the only one. He knows now that he has experienced players to lean on – he isn’t the star of a team well before he’s ready.
For all the talent he has, he doesn’t have that same aura about him as Wilshere. But, taking up a place in midfield and being surrounded by leaders, internationals and players who don’t always need to go in search of confidence has played a significant role in Ramsey’s re-emergence.
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