I am not one of the Arsenal fans that were calling for Aaron Ramsey to be dropped from the Arsenal team and even sold a few years ago as he was struggling to find his best form after coming back from that horror leg break and a long injury lay-off. And Ramsey proved his doubters wrong and then went on to have a storming season which, but for another few months on the sidelines, may have led Arsenal to the title.
Having said that, Ramsey has not been in the same sort of form this season and he may have a problem getting back into the first team when fit again after yet another muscle problem, which looks like being next weekend. I read a comment the other day that said Arsenal would have been in pole position for the EPL title if his injury had struck earlier in the season.
A bit harsh that, but I do think that the Gunners have started to look very good with the central midfield pairing of Mohamed Elneny and Coquelin. It did not start well, as the next game after Ramsey’s injury was the FA cup loss to Watford, but since then the Egyptian has been more disciplined and the two have worked really well together.
This came to a head in the win over Watford this weekend and as well as the praise that both received for their performances, a Metro report reveals an amazing stat that suggests that Ramsey will have a tough time getting off the bench against West Ham and it might even have Santi Cazorla worrying about his own place in the side.
Because it is the Spaniard’s Premier League record of completed passes in a game this season that Elneny beat yesterday. His 121 completed passes beat Cazorla’s 120 against Newcastle and at an amazing accuracy of 96 percent which means that only six went astray over the whole 90 minutes.
When you put this alongside Elneny’s energy, work rate, discipline and defensive ability, how will Ramsey get his place back?