Aaron Ramsey was once hailed the future of Arsenal Football Club and it was highly expected that he would rule that midfield alongside Jack Wilshere for many many years to come. Neither of them have unfortunately made the impact expected of them, but there was one point where Ramsey looked set to finally make his mark.
The 2013/14 season was a fantastic season for Ramsey. The player had gotten over his injury concerns and found fine form for the whole of the campaign. He scored numerous amounts of important goals for the Gunners that season, including stunners against Liverpool and Norwich. Of course we cannot forget the winning FA Cup goal by Ramsey, which was a fantastic way to round off a very good season for the Welshman.
Fast forward a few years and that form is no longer anywhere to be seen. We saw Ramsey feature in that FA Cup match against Lincoln City at the Emirates, after a stagnated period of injury. In that game however, he couldn’t hit a barn door. Despite having at least 3-4 opportunities in front of goal, his shooting boots just were not on and many of his efforts surely reached row Z. Ramsey has not only lost his form in front of goal however. He is also struggling with his passing, giving away the ball too easily and his positioning on the pitch has also been off key.
A lot of his time at Arsenal has been difficult, through nursing injuries, especially that bad break away at Stoke. He has also had to endure being a scapegoat, as well shunted across various positions by Arsene Wenger. These positions include the wing, which I think is an atrocious decision considering the fact that Ramsey does not have pace, dribbling or technical skill on the ball that a lot of wing play features around. He’s therefore not had the easiest of times at the club, but he has had so many, perhaps too many years to prove himself now and I do fear that time is running out for him.
Right now I feel that Ramsey is nothing more than a squad player. On his current form he cannot be a first choice starter in my opinion, but of course Wenger favours the Welshman heavily. I cannot see him being sold, even if his slump continues; but he really needs to up his game if he is to ever recapture the importance he had at the club, during that 2013-14 season.
By AH