Aaron Ramsey has established himself as a vital cog in the Arsenal set up. THT examines a few of the reasons why Arsene Wenger has such faith in the 22-year-old.
Arsenal's run of form since the defeat at the hands of Tottenham in February has seen the Gunners turn a corner. Topping the form table in the past 5 matches, Arsenal have slowly but steadily become a more disciplined and efficient unit rather than the more swashbuckling freestyle football they have been associated with in recent seasons. Defensive impermeability and better cohesion in attack have required each player to up his game, and none so much than the ever improving Welshman Aaron Ramsey.
The growth of Ramsey into one of the mainstays in the side after repeated criticism in the earlier parts of the season shows why Wenger has so much faith in the former Cardiff man. THT takes a look at why and how Ramsey has grown into one of the key figures in Arsenal's late season surge for Champions League football.
Arsene Wenger's Arsenal in recent seasons have lacked a conventional destroyer in midfield. Last season Alex Song was the supposed defensive midfielder but played much higher up the pitch, leaving Mikel Arteta as the deepest player in midfield. This season Arteta's partners have ranged from Diaby to Wilshere to Ramsey, but unlike the former two, Ramsey has shown more composure in helping out the Spaniard and has struck a better balance between attack and defence. When facing counters, Ramsey's tendency to push back rather than press high up means Arteta can do the pressing work more. His tackling numbers with a 90.7% success rate this season show how much more alert and astute the 22 year old has been in reading the game.
Arsenal's creative hub for the best part of the season has been the combination of Cazorla and Wilshere who in their wide and central playmaking roles have excelled. But it's Ramsey's contribution that's the most impressive, with 5 clear cut goalscoring chances created and a passing percentage of 90. The fact that Ramsey has only 2 assists comes down the fact that he spends the best part of the game setting up players out wide in order to regulate the flow of attack. Also, he has a lot of pre-assists and pre-pre-assists which, though can be misleading, show his involvement in the build up.
Right midfield, left midfield, central midfield, defensive midfield and attacking midfield — those are all the positions Aaron Ramsey has played this season for Arsenal. Versatility is one of the most priceless attributes for a player and Ramsey has benefited immensely from the same. Wenger played Ramsey out wide in the earlier part of the season to add defensive cover for the fullbacks, and the playing time on the flanks helped the Welshman absorb the key education of positional play. Ever since his return back into the middle and more importantly in the pivot, Ramsey has looked a different player altogether. The 22 year old is ever ready to learn and his willingness and versatility have not only made him a better overall player but also helped Arsenal beef up in the middle.
Ramsey is one of those players who literally covers every blade of grass during the 90, and could continue to do so after that as well if required. Blessed with an engine that not many in world football can boast of, the Welshman has reinvented the box to box role at Arsenal in his own way. Bombing from one D to the other without breaking much a sweat, be it defence or attack, Ramsey is in the midst of it all. He has valiantly left behind the 4 individual errors he made back in January and has become more reliable, so much so that Arteta has been seen joining the attack more often of late, something which was a rare sight back last season. Ramsey has also matured as a player, fully aware of the job at hand, going about it without fuss. Just an added physical presence about him could make him fearsome with that engine. Everton would testify.
Easily one of his best assets, Ramsey loves to run with the ball and lay it off for someone in a better position. With 51 dribbles in just 31 appearances, Ramsey has improved on the one facet of the game that is anyway his strongest asset. With more runs from midfield and a constant mobile presence, Ramsey is doing his first team chances no harm at the moment. His movement hasn't been half as bad as what it was early on in the season, and with each game we see a more developed and improved product in the Welsh international.
Only time will measure how vital Ramsey is to Arsenal's cause, but his development and growth have been huge positives in this difficult and tiring campaign for the Gunners. As things stand, Ramsey could well and truly be aiming to become the heir apparent to Arteta, and who knows, thereafter he might become the Arsenal's lynchpin in midfield in the long run.
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