Aaron Ramsey Criticism Must Stop, He’s Still the Soul of Arsenal

Aaron Ramsey had a 2013/14 campaign that would have been historic had it not been for several months of injury. However, even with that injury bout, he still put in 16 goals including an absolute thriller to claim the FA Cup in the dying minutes of extra time. He was the undisputed team MVP last year and he got off to a great start this year prior to hitting a rough spot as of late.

And as it typically goes, when something goes wrong, there has to be a scapegoat. Unfortunately for the Welshman affectionately known as Rambo, he was that goat.

Former Gunner Charlie Nicholas was one of the main critics, blaming Ramsey alone for Arsenal’s collapse against Anderlecht and Swansea and calling him too “Hollywood.”

I wrote an article not long ago proving that Aaron Ramsey is superior to the on-fire Morgan Schneiderlin, and I really believe he is, he’s just hit a rough patch. The stats show that even with his dry spell, he’s still a wrecking ball.

The latest proponent to come out in defense of the Arsenal man is the Wales boss, Chris Coleman. He told the Daily Star:

"“Aaron is not a big-time Charlie. He’s as humble as they come. Sometimes he can get a bit sloppy in training – but every player is like that.“He’s the type of player that when it comes off, it looks great. He can thread an incredible pass through the eye of a needle or take players on. But if it doesn’t come off, then sometimes people can look at it and say he is being flippant.“He has the ability to produce a bit of magic and if he has a bad game it is not for the want of trying.“We played Andorra and Rambo wasn’t at his best and gave away possession – but he always kept working hard and looking for the ball.“Aaron is a tough boy. When people say to me, ‘Who were the toughest players you played with?’ I always think of players who are tough mentally.“Players who always take responsibility, whether they are playing good or bad. It’s easy to be physically tough. But to always want the ball and take responsibility – that’s toughness.“Rambo has that in abundance. He will be back to his best sooner rather than later.”"

One also has to remember that while Ramsey is a box-to-box midfielder with stamina for days, his primary responsibility is not defense. He is meant to contribute equally between boxes. So to place a defensive collapse on his shoulders is completely unwarranted and displays a degree of shortsightedness that’s sickening and borderline infuriating.

Another contributing factor is the amount of responsibility Arsenal has placed on Ramsey in the past. Both last year and the beginning of this year they seemed almost completely living or dying based on his performances and that’s well and good when he’s producing, but just because he has a few off matches doesn’t mean he can be the scapegoat. No one can shoulder and entire team for that long.

Ramsey has addressed the criticism as well, telling the Guardian:

"“I’m not worried. I know my qualities. I’ve had a few injuries and I’m just getting back. To be honest, I’m still not 100 % physically. It does take a bit out of me. It will take me a few more games to be back to my best. I’m not worried. Certain criticism from people is unfair.”"

Arsenal need a holding midfielder. Ramsey is not one. Wilshere could possibly be one. But the answer is not Abou Diaby. January is fast approaching and all fingers are crossed that Wenger sees the crisis.

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