Arsenal fans have not been too vocal about how much the side was missing the Wales international midfield star for a lot of the current season, probably because we have not really seen the best from Aaron Ramsey for some time. He was excellent for his country at Euro 2016 and earned himself a place in the UEFA team of the tournament but that only made it more frustrating that his form was hard to find at club level.
Don’t get me wrong, though, I am a Ramsey fan and do realise that his game is about a lot more than goals, As a central midfielder he needs to do a bit of everything, with energy and work rate essential as well as the balance between defensive awareness and solidity with passing and creative football.
But I do think that when the Welshman is setting up and scoring goals you can tell that he is on his game and with Santi Cazorla on the long term injury list Arsenal need to have Ramsey at his best if we are to challenge for the Premier League title or to lift any trophy this season and I think the player himself is well aware that he needs to contribute more.
He did at least break his scoring duck for the season in the FA cup win over Preston and has spoken to Arsenal Player about his hopes that this will lead to more, as well as his take on the title race which he thinks will go all the way.
The 26-year old said, “It’s going to be tight. The top six teams at the moment aren’t dropping many points, so it’s going to be tight and we’ll have to stay focused to be ready for every game.
“It’s going to go right down to the wire and we don’t want to have any slip ups which might cost us in the end.
“It’s important for us to stay focused in every game.
“I’ve had a few chances in the last few games and I’ve missed a lot of football this season, so I was happy to finally get that goal. Hopefully now I can get a few more of them.
“I’ve been working hard to get back to full fitness and I’ve played the last couple of games, so hopefully now I can stay fit and have a good end to the season.”
If he does well from now until May, will it mean that Arsenal have a successful season as well?
Bob.