Ramsey celebrates winner with Walcott
Arsenal supporters collectively I suspect were particularly worried to hear of Mikel Arteta’s calf strain a few weeks back. After all we don’t win unless he plays do we? More angry rants on social media criticizing Wenger for not buying a DM, a term I hate but most love to use. Two weeks on the same Gooners are scratching their collective heads because the player most use as a scapegoat/punchbag has taken to the role with aplomb. Yes folks the much to the surprise of some Aaron Ramsey has operated as our deepest lying midfielder in the past 2 games with little difficulty.
How can this be fans cry, he is a CAM not a DM? Well folks that is easy because in my view, the reason why Arsenal don’t need a traditional DM as so many feel we do is because that role is required in a 4132/4411 or a 442 formation but not a 4231 as Arsenal currently play. Secondly the role originally emerged to mark/take out the oppositions N0.10, another role which of course most teams also don’t play. In short most of the guys that tell me we can’t play 442 as it does not work in the 21st Century are the same guys telling me we need a DM. Arsenal play with a double pivot, usually Wilshere and Arteta, or initially Diaby and Arteta. Both have defensive responsibilities but both can also join the attack. However one will acknowledge the main role of playing the anchor is theirs and will always be the deeper of the 2 when we have lost possession of the ball.
Arteta needs to share the load
Many of you will recall I have argued this case before back in June when I suggested Arteta could take on the role of the anchor and I explained my logic in some detail back then. Rather than cover all the same ground here are a few excerpts as a reminder:-
…. I wish to spend a bit of time considering the duties and rise to prominence of the role in 21st century football. Perhaps look at the qualities and skill set required to perform in this position in the EPL of 2012. I hope to impose some rational thinking and in the process maybe clear up what in my view are misconceptions.
….I have an issue with the very term ‘defensive midfielder’ and what it means.
….. What is for today is to look at the role and the attributes required, and crucially to look at it in our formation, or perhaps a variation on it? To understand this we need to look at how the modern game had evolved this century, because the very term defensive suggests tough tackling and whilst that may have been the role in the past it is not now.
For me this role is better described as the ‘anchor’ role and of course many might call it the ‘Makelele’ role as the job became synonymous with French international Claude Makelele early this century. I would tend to agree with them as it is this role initially with Real Madrid and then at Chelsea that made both teams so successful, but was it a defensive role? Yes as the anchor midfield man there is a huge defensive responsibility but it the team that has an accomplished individual in the role that has the licence to attack with confidence and freedom.
Makelele – The Master
……The dual impact of Makelele and a manager in Mourinho who understood the role was breathtaking. Arsenal fans were still celebrating the unbeaten season before they realised that Chelsea had won back to back titles and the Makelele role was key. But why was this role for Makelele having more of an impact than perhaps the Gilberto or Flamini role at Arsenal? The reason lies in the development of tactics and the new formations being used and the move away perhaps from the traditional 442.
…….The new formations, 433, 451 or 4231 as we use now at Arsenal were a key factor in developing the ‘DM’ role as it is today, because they have lead to the decline in the use of traditional second forwards, the classic ‘Number 10.’ We’re seeing less of players in the Zinedine Zidane, Dennis Bergkamp mould, and more like Ronaldo or Messi, who have free roles but more often than not start from wide areas. This is critical when assessing the anchor midfield role because with the absence of a creator for the deep lying midfielder to stop, the emphasis on this player being a tough tackling destroyer is lessened.
……..The second fundamental change, for which Arsenal and Wenger can take huge credit, at least in this country is the style of attacking football. For us and more and more of the top sides it is about high tempo, short, quick passing and probing in the final third. So this has lead to a change in the dynamics and balance between the last ditch tackle and the interception. Now English fans, more than most love a strong challenge but these days it is far more often about reading the game or a passage of play and making an interception. If as a defender or a deep midfielder you can intercept the pass to the player you are marking rather than tackling him, you are not risking giving away a free-kick in a dangerous area and a booking. Of course the secondary benefit of the intelligent player making an interception instead of a tackle is that you have possession of the football and may be in a position to launch a swift counter attack. It was this that Claude Makelele did so much better than others at Madrid and then at Chelsea.
……..So in modern day Premiership the holding/anchor/defensive midfielder needs not necessarily to be a tough tackler but to be an intelligent reader of the game and the flow and passages of play. He needs to be in a position to closely observe not only the movement of the ball, but crucially also the movement of opposition players. It is this payer who Arsenal need as their deepest player and it is he who will make interceptions at not last gasp tackles.
……..The next key attribute for the player in this deep role in the game today is that he MUST be a quality passer of the football, as giving away possession deep in your own half can be dangerous. The passing game therefore of this player needs to be bereft of error so short simple passes are often the order of the day. So this player will frequently be playing short innocuous balls and they will frequently be sideways of backwards and this is fine as long as his side retains the possession.
Sir Alex Ferguson summarised it rather well:
“The idea behind the 4-5-1 is that you can control the midfield and keep possession of the ball – that’s always your aim when you use that formation. I believe the team that has possession of the ball has more opportunities to win the match. As for the 4-4-2, there is more emphasis in that formation placed on playing the ball forward…playing 4-5-1 requires a lot of patience.”
Of course because this player has to play as I have described and he is sometimes under appreciated by fans of other teams but seldom by his own supporters. In United and Ferguson’s case the player in question who reads the game, smells the danger and keeps the ball moving swiftly simply in front of the back four is Michael Carrick. Now would you describe Carrick as a defensive midfielder because he is certainly not a tough tackler? Perhaps you would not but I would describe him as the anchor midfielder. Capable of a long searching pass, but more frequently giving it simple to Scholes or Giggs ahead or Nani, Young or Valencia wide , or even to an advancing full back. This is the modern day Makelele style individual and this is the type of player Arsenal are looking to potentially buy. Again if you won’t accept my take on this perhaps you might listen to the player who currently just might be the best exponent in Europe, when he talked about Carrick before the last World Cup
Carrick – Like it or not he’s bloody good!
“If they are on top of their game and if Carrick plays, because for me he is a top player, then England will have a chance. If Carrick plays for the national team the way that he does for Manchester United, then it would be very good news for England. I think that he could easily fit in the Spanish system because I really like the way he plays. He reads the game so well, he is always ahead of what is going to happen and he is always in the right position. When he gets the ball, he plays it easy and he is available to his team-mates all the time. For me, he has the profile to play for Barcelona or any of the Spanish teams. He would also be very complimentary to Stevie.”
This is Xabi Alonso suggesting Carrick would provide a perfect platform for his old team mate Stevie Gerrard. Capello ignored the advice and used Gareth Barry and it appears Hodgson has done the same. In the whole of 2011/12 Carrick in 27 Premier League starts only committed 20 fouls and this is due to his reading of the attacking play and his not needing to resort to difficult tackles.
…….So let’s pull this analysis together and bring it back to Arsenal. Carrick is already 31 and perfectly suited to this anchor role in the present game. A few years back had you asked him when at Spurs and first at Old Trafford I am fairly certain he would have described himself as a creative midfielder or box to box, but not now.
……..I would virtually guarantee that we all saw Arteta as a direct short-term replacement, with Premiership experience who could step into Cesc’s boots for a season or so, whilst Ramsey and Wilshere continued to mature. However with Jack’s long-term injury Mikel has found himself playing deeper than he ever did at Everton and I think he has quite enjoyed it? Certainly he has been the rock in our midfield and without him we have floundered. Why because he is the only one in the absence of Wilshere and a young Coquelin with the discipline for the role.
……. So think of the new DM role I have described. You need maturity, discipline, intelligence and a reading of the game. The reading of the game which leads to the ability to make interceptions instead of tackles. This has to be combined with a precise passing game encompassing the short and simple and the longer out pass when required. The player I am describing is Mikel Arteta and in 2012/12 he finished the season with the highest pass completion of any player in the EPL at 91%.
So there you have the thrust of my argument back in June as to why I felt Arteta was ideally suited to the anchor role and it would appear that in pre-season and from August Wenger agreed. Most of you will also know that I am a huge admirer and defender of our shiny haired Spaniard and I have written subsequent blogs praising his work in front of the back 4. However I do also watch the games and indeed listen to fellow Gooners both in the comments, in the pub and on twitter. It is here that I have accepted the one attribute Arteta may just lack for this crucial role and that is pace. Yes he reads the game and the play so well but equally there have been times when his 31 year old legs just will not quite get him our of trouble. I still feel his is the main man and as vice-captain when fit he has the shirt.
This of course brings us on to the surprise development of Ramsey’s seemingly taking to the anchor role. I think most are surprised and some will say it was only West Ham and Brighton, but should we be surprised? When listing the attributes as I did previously did Ramsey come to mind for the role in June? Honestly of course not. I may not have associated discipline and simple effective passing with Aaron, more the recklessness and the Hollywood ball to be frank. Would I have described him as intelligent and a reader of the game? I would have said yes I know he has those attributes but he needs to mature. Do I rate him as a footballer? Yes I do but I have struggled to see where he could fit when competing with Jack, Santi and Abou.
I guess the key word in all this is maturity. Arteta has it through years of experience but my guess if that Aaron is a fast learner. I am continually on record arguing that this role does not require huge strength or tough tackling but in fairness Ramsey is a tenacious sort of a chap.
So what does the man himself think? Here below are his thoughts as relayed to Arsenal Player:
“I think I’ve played well in the last two games. That’s pleasing for me and hopefully I can keep myself in the team and carry on. Hopefully I get picked for the next game.”
“I had a meeting with the boss the other week and he explained to me what’s required for this role. I think I’ve done that in the last couple of games and I feel good in myself.”
“I’ve been getting stuck in and winning the ball back, been involved a lot more and got a lot of touches of the ball so hopefully I can continue the form I’m in at the moment.
“You always have to be wary of the hole you’re leaving behind you, but there are occasions when I can get into the box and one of the other midfielders sits.”
Well it does sound as if Wenger has faith in Ramsey to play this role and importantly that the player himself is content. Some of his quick incisive passing to get Arsenal back on the attack over the past 2 matches has been impressive. What we also know about the likes of Ramsey is that he always gives of his all in whatever role his has been given. Even when, as has often been the case he is played our wide in an unfamiliar role I would guess he dislikes.
Ramsey wants to be in the engine room but I suspect must realize that with Diaby and Rosicky fit again and Wilshere and Cazorla incumbent his opportunities further advanced might be slim. Arteta is not getting younger and whilst I feel he has a few very good years ahead of him we may just have found the player with whom our Vice Skipper can share responsibilities. The key may well be whether he can maintain the discipline and resist the tempation to try his fancy flicks of over ambitious long balls, which frequently gift posesion to our opponents. Time will tell but Aaron Ramsey has made an accomplished and promising start in the anchor role and I for one am mighty pleased for him.
So next up the not so mighty Liverpool but smarting from their cup exit this will be a sterner test for Ramsey. I feel he will get the nod to play as Arteta not likely to be ready so perhaps we will have a stronger impression of his capacity for the position at 9.45pm on Wedsnesday. I am confident the hammering of West Ham has begun a winning streak in the EPL and with more home games to come will be betting on a 3-1 win to put daylight between us an LFC with Ladbrokes at 14-1, with Giroud to open scoring at 13-2.
Until next time thanks for reading.
Like what you read? Agree/disagree? Leave a comment below or follow me or comment on this blog on Twitter – http://twitter.com/goonerdave66
sorry but do not agree. for someone to be ‘anchoring’ superbly, we would not have championship standard midfielders and strikers pouring in on top of the back 4.
Are you fucking mad? Whatever next, you think that Wenger has got it right this season?
You’re mental if you think Ramsey played well. He is one of the worst players at the club, just tucked in behind Santos and Chamakh.
If you can’t get you point across without calling me mad and mental why bother. No need
You sound like such a Ramsey hater, that if he went on a patch of playing MOTM candidate games, you’d still find fault with the 1-2 misplaced passes he plays ( like EVERY player EVERY game )
Various random points:
The scapegoating has been shifted back to Santos now. Ramsey is in the clear.
tWhen looking at our squad, it begs the question, don’t we have enough midfielders: Rosicky, Santi, Diaby, Ramsey, Wilshere, Chambo, Arteta, the Coq. We play two anchors, I think we are okay there, but where are the wide men? If our formation is set in stone (as it seems), then shouldn’t we be in the mix for a “Nani-like” type of player?
Santos deserves it and should NEVER have been bought. He is a beach footballer wing back. And looks even less interested than wehn he 1st arrived. Wenger what the hell were you doing ??
Dave – I have to applause you for giving a thoughtful read. Also, giving credit where it is due. We’re generally too quick to slate someone as crap but takes too much time in complementing for the good deeds. Ramsey, indeed has done fine work in last two games. If we scored 5 against a west ham then why is not that Ramsey was able to contribute and let the CAMs play with freedom and passed on the balls well.
Same goes for Brighton win. While loads of top clubs struggled to win, it was us who were criticized to make this ‘simple’ game a tough win. Overall, I worry about the backline more than anything else. We are very scared of any set pieces conceded and don’t look confident on the ones we win.
Of course, we’ll see how the upcoming games are and if we can remain consistent.
great well written article and really interesting for people like myself who are uneducated on tactics.
Your explanation of the “DM” role is the best i’ve heard. I always thought arteta was good in the role but he is not fast enough to be effective. I love the idea of ramsey taking on this role because he can learn directly from arteta and this will give ramsey a place in the team. He is a very good prospect and i would hate to see him moved on because he can’t get into the team with players like Jack, santi and rosicky ahead of him. Hopefully he can pick it up and between him and coquelin, we can have an effective rotation of young players in that role for the future.
It is the way I see the role but many would disagree I am sure. The big burly tough tackler is no longer required in out set up
In other words, the underlying premise is – prevention is better than cure
I was certain you will go into it after those performances of Ramsey, but wasnt sure you will do it this soon. Yes Ramsey have done pretty well for the time being and to comepet with Diaby/jack or Arteta is not a problem as we need depth on squad and cant play same 11 all the time. But lets give him more game first in that position. For now, what is good is that we shalln’t loose our sleep on Arteta’s injnury.
I was always convinced with Ramsey and he is a very fine central midfielder. At a bar where I always go to watch arsenal, people (most of them) always criticize Ramsey and slang him off. Now, same people are little bit passionate about him, FINALLY. I really felt for the guy and I hope he can build on a good arsenal career now.
And, Thanks Dave
Thank you for the well written and informative post , I had all but forgotten the pivotal role CM4 played for Real and more importantly Chelski.
I like ramsey a lot as a player for his drive and passion and passing for the most part also when played in his favoured positions (not as a winger). I hope that he will flourish and make the “anchor man” role his own for the gooners and have many good playing years ahead of him.
A very thoughtful, analytical article. I also think,though he has done well as an anchor man,Arteta is more suited 2 d position he played last season. Arteta was so effective in dis position dat when he didn’t play,d team didn’t manage 2 win. Dat position,now occupied by Wilshere,4 me is where Arteta should be playing. Dat is where is experience and maturity is most needed. He knows when 2 move 4ward,when 2 fall back..he has more freedom 2 move around. Compare Arteta in dat role with Alonso @ Madrid. They are similar players in terms of passing,maturity,and experience. Arteta in dat position, gives us more balanceHaving sed dat, Wilshere could play behind d striker, Cazorla could be moved wide and Ramsey can grow 2 be like Carrick,Khedira, or even Busquet.
Oh please!
Now you are just making stuff up out of thin air. Ramsey can anchor the far end of the bench, but not the midfield. Look at Arsenal’s record when he starts and when he doesn’t start over the last year and a half.
The fact is that Arsenal perform much better without him. Factually and statistically. Stop posting this nonsense!
Not arguing he has played well for most part of the season but he has not had too many minutes in the cenre and only 2 games in new anchor role so early to judge and far fron stupid. Thanks for taking time though
Alan, That sounds pretty regressive, not just dismissive. All that will do is maintain status quo. If he did reasonably well in Arteta’s role, he can be groomed..better than floundering around trying to fit him into the winger position, when he clearly isn’t suited there. Its probably not his fault that he has been used all over the pitch with not enough game time to be able to adjust to one or other. Yes, he is prone to giving the ball cheaply by either an ambitious pass, or holding on to it for too long and getting bullied. By design, both these things will need to be cut out in the Arteta role, and if he is forced to make a conscious effort in that direction, one may be able to harness his better qualities more effectively.
You can choose to look at the past and be dismissive and despondent, or you can choose to look at that small change, that small spark which is different from the monotony of the past and imagine where it “may” lead. Eventually, it is you choice, and neither’s going to affect Wenger’s plans
Ramsey played well against West Ham but ì think he holds the ball for too long & his hollywood flicks will cost us alot if he is our deepest midfielder. Hope he learns from Arteta, Ì’m one of his biggest fans¿.guess, time will tell
Agree and I have stressed that in the blog
Nice read as usual,but I would love to point out that we do not always need to strengthen from within each time we notice a void in our squad. Spending a few dollars on some bargains CAN never be a bad idea.
So you imply then that Santos, Chamakh, Park etc can NEVER be a bad idea?
Reaction to “Ramsey anchors …” A very thoughtful, analytical article. I also think,though he has done well as an anchor man,Arteta is more suited 2 d position he played last season. Arteta was so effective in dis position dat when he didn’t play,d team didn’t manage 2 win. Dat position,now occupied by Wilshere,4 me is where Arteta should be playing. Dat is where is experience and maturity is most needed. He knows when 2 move 4ward,when 2 fall back..he has more freedom 2 move around. Compare Arteta in dat role with Alonso @ Madrid. They are similar players in terms of passing,maturity,and experience. Arteta in dat position, gives us more balanceHaving sed dat, Wilshere could play behind d striker, Cazorla could be moved wide and Ramsey can grow 2 be like Carrick,Khedira, or even Busquet.
Always saw ramsey as a liability, delighted to see him perform well in a useful role. Long may it continue.
Our defence needs serious sorting .. take some tips from dogged determined never-say-die lower league sides we saw in the Cup?
Agree. I see more need for a strong centre back to win headers than anything else
well you don’t know much about football then. Wenger was killing his confidence and possibly career by deploying him on the wings. His confidence shot with every bad outing. He needs a consistent run in the middle
Well thought out analysis ( I believe I said same when you posted in June ). Its obvious that some have such venom towards Aaron (I wonder how much is their OWN opinion) that they are completely blind to whatever he does on the pitch, ie can’t see the forest for the trees (shrubs for some )
I appreciate your points. Personally if we could find him I would still prefer a player with some physical size and a strong tackler in the anchor role. I do feel our centre backs are often overrun as they are not shielded we’ll enough by the midfield. They are often criticised but we do not snub out opposition attacks at source and the defence are exposed too easily. On Arteta I think he reads the game well but his distribution is too slow and he tends to play the safe, sideways pass instead of setting up quicker attacks. That’s why his completion rate is so good. Ramsey does have the ability to turn and drive forward. Maybe he’s worth a go there. I certainly don’t think he can cut it as an attacking midfielder.
Yeah! you got it right Dave, I think Ramsey has found the best role he fits in, according to the last two game. We have struggled getting our tempo back most part of this season but i saw it coming in the Brighton and Westham game. So my question is can we play a 4-2-3-1 formation where (Sagna, Per/Kos, Verm, Gibbs)-(Ramsey, Arteta)-(Carzola-Wilshere-Walcott)-(Giroud) Carzola to go wide and Poldi to come off the bench? We need to regain our tempo coz thats our competitive edge in the PL.
I think at the moment you cannot leave out Poldi, but it just shows that we actually do have a great squad. At the moment you have to play Poldi, Giroud, Walcott across the front, with Cazorla & Wilshere in midfield. But then where do you fit in Arteta (when fit), or Diaby? Ramsey is a nice addition to the competitive squad. When you also consider Rosicky & L’Ox, we look very accomplished. A nicely fit & confident Gervinho back from the Africa Cup of Nations would be nice too. If the unbelievable happened and we signed David Villa, that would be the icing on a very nice looking squad. The only real concern is Gibbs’ brittleness & Santos as cover…Luke Shaw in the summer??
I just watched the compilation video of Ramsey’s actions against Brighton before I read this article and couldn’t agree more. Ramsey played superbly as anchor (this term is going to be popular from now on). He passed short well, and mixed it with some accurate long passes, better than at West Ham game. He also committed some tackles and interceptions, and what I like from him is he immediately started the counter attack after winning the ball. One immediate mid range pass to Rosicky after successful tackle (and he’s still half-lying on the ground) and then Rosicky passed it to Giroud to volley it in the Brighton box is one of the best moment of that match.
Ramsey groomed in this role very well albeit only starting the game as anchor twice. I’m sure he will open many fans eyes at Liverpool game and haters will have to swallow their “pride” and admit he’s actually a very good player. Ramsey has the engine to play as the most busiest player in the match. He reminds me of Denilson (stamina wise) but with a far better build. He’s stronger than Arteta. He doesn’t have the burst and dribble like what Wilshere and Diaby has, so competing with Arteta just suits him.
People might still hate him for doing so well as anchor just because they think Wenger might decide not signing a new DM after the latest development of Ramsey. But I don’t see this way of thinking rational at all, esp if he does well against Liverpool again (and I’m sure he will).
Your strength is picking things up before anyone else by following your guts and being open minded with what you’ve seen. Keep it up dave, and people finally will see it too, albeit much later.
Thanks for you kind words my friend
Let’s not get carried away with Ramsey’s performance against a Championship side – sounds like clutching at straws when we’re congratulating the team for beating another team that’s not even their league and one whose spending power is utterly dwarfed by ours.
Did he have a good game? Sure, but if Arsenal are being troubled by Brighton then we’ve certainly fallen from grace. Yes, no game is an easy game but make a long article when we play one of the big boys above, which may I remind you we haven’t had alot of success at beating lately. Measure a player against teams that are on their level or above, not those way at the bottom.
nice article. agree with most part.
but i would say i think mostly fans are not intellectual when it comes to deeply analyzing the game and same goes for majority of Arsenal fans, who became very comfortable watching a Viera like presence in the midfield.
thats why they always cry out for one without knowing the demands of that specific role.
on the other hand, as far as Ramsey goes i think he was deployed on the wing because that gave us balance as a team which highlights another fault of Arsenal in terms of lacking effective bodies or the players who could play that specific role. guess that’s why we are after a mobile forward like Villa. who can play especially in the left channel.
i remember Wenger said in August that we have 2 many midfielders. he is absolutely right but problem is 2 of them only play 5-10 games a season.
you can certainly see why AW doesn’t go into the transfer market, if anything he is only guilty of trusting the players that he sees do well in training every day. Time, money & investment goes into these players, and lately it is obvious that a lot of time has gone into Ramsey. Piers Morgan & his followers just need to lay off the kid & let him find his feet. The current football environment of buy buy buy, (i.e. not develop, develop, develop) is disgusting enough, without the media/fans whipping things up against players like Ramsey. It’s hard to win a trophy (understatement), however one feels that if our squad can experience it, it will provide a mental break through of epic proportions. I liken it to Andy Murray winning the Olympics – it was a huge hurdle that he overcome to beat Federer in such a big match with the pressure on – enabling him to back it up at the US Open, and nearly again 2 days ago in Melbourne. Should we win something this year (i.e. the FA Cup), & finish in the top 4 – I truly believe it will be a coming of age time for the Gunners.
@ the author-
Exactly, mate. That is why the most appropriate addition, if any, to our midfield would be someone like Wigan’s James McCarthy rather than a M’Vila (who, if u believe some Gooners, is the panacea to all our problems) or a Sissoko.
But one point I would like to make though. When the opposition plays a 4-4-2, one of the strikers are going to invariably drop deep and play the No.10 role. And that is when, I feel, that we require a DM who is a better marker and tackler than, say, Ramsey or Arteta. Our worst games defensively (set-piece slackness aside) have come against 4-4-2s with one striker dropping deep- like Bryan Ruiz for Fulham & Rooney for Man Utd. In those situations, since letting the 2 centre-backs handle the 2 strikers would leave us with no spare man sweeping up, the responsibility for tracking the No.10 falls to the DM. IIRC, it was Arteta tracking Rooney when we played United (with TV5 marking RvP and Mertesacker the spare man), and he was struggling to cope with Wayne’s movement and pace. Considering that we have CBs who are good on the ball and quite mobile, the solution in these games might be to simply play a 3rd centre-back, albeit further up the pitch in a DM role.
Great analysis again, Dave. I think Ramsey should practice his left foot passing skills because sometimes when the opponent pushes him it took him a seconds to pass, or worse get dispossessed
Hi Dave, I agree, Aaron has definitely found his best position. I hope he gets a chance to learn from Mikel. It’s good to see everyone off his back for the time being too.
I was hoping AW would try for a CB in this window, looks like it will be summer now.
Very good read dave .I wonder if Denislon has his pace back?He sounds like he would fit the bill ideally.And No.I am not joking
Hope he keeps up this form. He’s got a terrific role model in Mikel and i hope he aims to emulate his professionalism on and off the pitch.
nice piece, really detailed & well researched. i’ll just point out 2 things. 1st: yes it’s only been 2 games but i don’t find any fault in applauding ramsey for his efforts yet he’s hammered for misplacing a pass in a single match. it’s time for us as gooners to get behind the team & players that give that extra bit of uumph when they step out in the red n white and i for one believe ramsey is one of those players. he may not be the finished article yet but with mikel as the teacher, he’ll get better
2nd: i beg to differ when it’s said wenger was killing ramsey’s caree by playing him out wide. in my humble opinion this was a ploy or tactic if you prefer, to make him learn to release the ball faster as well as make decisions of where to play the ball super fast. his pass to rosicky against brighton shows he’s learning.
onwards n upwards you gooners!
superb post. I think i agree with you on this. to be honest, i’ve been disappointed with Ramsey since the start of the season. but now, he’s playing style has stabilized, he thinks ahead but he still got loads to learn. The person whom I really dont understand is Abou Diaby. he is just a waste of space and money. he has no heart. he have no fight in him. Ramsey has the heart. when you compare them, you could see the difference. Just get Diaby off.
Ramsey is a good player but his level of consistency might be his only undoing