Aaron Rambo by Big Gun
Aaron Ramsey is untouchable right now. At the moment, our Welsh wizard can do nothing wrong and his 2013/2014 season at Arsenal has proven MANY people wrong, including myself. I will never forget the horrific tackle and injury he had to endure back in 2010. It was one of those moments where you think, this lad will never be the same again.
Fast forward a year or so after healing up, Rambo was back in action. I remember commenting on this very forum about his poor display in subsequent games. Understandably, after recovering from such a hectic injury, the lad was a bag of nerves and afraid to get stuck in. Many of us felt, on top of losing all our best players year after year during that period, not to mention a never ending trophy drought, we had little time to put faith into a player testing the waters all over again. My comment was something like this. A winner is someone who takes criticism and uses it as ammunition to propel himself forward. He either needs to rise to the occasion, or make room for someone capable.
Ramsey was getting plenty of flak, and I guess the above is exactly what he did. It really has been a hero’s tale for the young Welshman, in the face of criticism, pessimism and failure, he rose up to the challenge and showed the world exactly what a professional sportsman and hero is made of. This is what he said about a year ago before we faced Stoke, a game in which he ended up scoring a crucial goal.
Ramsey said: “It takes a long time to mentally overcome it. It was from last Christmas, that’s when I was getting back to my best. That is when I felt confident, and when I was getting stuck in. To get over that kind of injury takes a year. Probably a bit longer. You must keep believing and working hard, and it just feels, all of a sudden, that it clicks into that bubble and you are full of confidence.”
Ramsey has no psychological barrier about facing Stoke.
He added: “The memories have gone. It’s different. It’s at home and under Mark Hughes they have changed style. I am sure they will be quite physical and press us and close us down. But we are at home and hopefully we’ll get the result.”
Since then, Ramsey has transformed into probably our most valuable player. His stats have been absolutely phenomenal. Going from being our worst player in 2011/2012 stat wise to probably the most versatile player in the BPL next to Yaya Toure is no small feat considering two years prior suffering a double leg break. Last season he managed second highest assists in our club (one less than Ozil) and double goal figures for a box to box midfielder is just incredible. Most teams have already played their first game this season, and so far out of every club, Ramsey and Arteta have come out on top with the most successful passes. Arteta understandably is a holding midfielder, so short passes are order of the day. Ramsey on the other hand is an integral part of our attack, so the stats are a real compliment to him.
Usually, I would stop praise about now, as my lips would be chapped, but Rambo really does deserve all the credit he is getting. The most important thing about this, is his character. Confident, yet modest. Something I believe is what separates really good players, from the greats. Arsenal need to keep building their squad whilst keeping our core group of players. I don’t say we should build our squad around one player, but Ramsey is the type of player you MUST play every game when possible. I believe if he keeps up the great attitude and performances, he will be our next captain after Arteta as he has exactly the right temperament and confidence needed to lead our squad in the near future. He has an amazing testament to back it up.
Big Gun