%20rotate(-8.06)%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22336.19%20136.81%20330.16%2094.25%20326.06%2071.19%20326.44%2071.13%20335.22%2093.54%20352.29%20134.52%20373.95%20131.46%20362.7%2052.01%20350.02%2053.8%20356.05%2096.36%20360.15%20119.42%20359.77%20119.48%20350.99%2097.08%20333.91%2056.09%20312.25%2059.15%20323.51%20138.6%20336.19%20136.81%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22402.91%2059.3%20412.36%20126.02%20427.17%20123.92%20417.72%2057.21%20431.59%2055.24%20429.79%2042.51%20387.23%2048.53%20389.04%2061.27%20402.91%2059.3%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22463.51%20118.77%20458.69%2084.71%20474.68%2082.44%20479.51%20116.5%20494.36%20114.4%20483.11%2034.95%20468.26%2037.06%20472.96%2070.25%20456.96%2072.52%20452.26%2039.32%20437.4%2041.43%20448.65%20120.88%20463.51%20118.77%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22540.5%20107.87%20538.77%2095.68%20518.91%2098.49%20515.77%2076.29%20535.63%2073.47%20533.93%2061.5%20514.07%2064.32%20511.11%2043.42%20530.98%2040.61%20529.25%2028.42%20494.53%2033.34%20505.78%20112.78%20540.5%20107.87%22%2F%3E%0A%20%20%3Cpolygon%20class%3D%22cls-1%22%20points%3D%22299.03%20155.17%20301.29%20171.58%20542.78%20138.39%20540.5%20121.97%20299.03%20155.17%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E)
Arsenal’s Current Tactic Does Not Fit Aaron Ramsey
Arsenal is welcoming back their Welsh talisman, Aaron Ramsey. But does the current Arsenal set up offer any logical place for him? Not so much.
The big team news today, as seen on the official Arsenal instagram account, is the return of Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey to the Arsenal team. The large injury list begins to shorten itself with Ramsey’s return, but there are multiple key players still out for the Gunners. They are not out of the woods yet.
Related: Arsene Wenger’s 10 Best Signings Ever
Ramsey has not featured many times in his favored position of central midfield this season. Arsene Wenger’s favoritism of the 4-2-3-1 with two deep midfielders forces the Welshman out of his comfort zone, either to the right side of midfield or central attacking midfield.
Even though he is a central midfielder, the 24-year-old hasn’t been able to hold down a spot in the middle due to his injuries and Mesut Ozil’s star form. Not wanting to bench Ramsey, Wenger often sticks him on the right. Ramsey has made eight appearances on the right side, averaging a 7.15 match rating on whoscored.com.
More from Pain in the Arsenal
- 3 observations from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
- 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
- 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
- Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
- 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
His contributions on paper have not been stellar so far. Ramsey has scored just one goal and registered no assists so far in the Premier League, with zero of either coming in Europe. That lone goal came in the last match Ramsey played in, a third goal for the Gunners against a weary Watford side whose defense collapsed in the second half.
If Arsenal continue to play with two deep central midfielders in a 4-2-3-1 system, where does Aaron Ramsey fit into the team selection? His spot – for the moment – will be on the right side once again due to the injuries to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott. Hopefully he will end up somewhere else this season, as the statistics show he doesn’t fit that right-sided role.
Arsenal’s wide midfielders need to be quick players as they are in charge of spearheading the attack in wide areas. Their central midfielders, on the contrary, make the plays that unlock defenses and need to be strong as well as able to pick out a great pass. Ramsey is an odd combination of possession play and offensive dynamism, meaning that a whole new role has to be crafted out for him if Wenger wants to maximize his output.
The Welshman scored ten goals and registered eight assists in the Premier League alone in 2013/14, a year in which he was a mainstay in the team and had a position that was made for him. The 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 system was still used by Arsene Wenger, but Ramsey was one of the team’s stars and thus his position was crucial to Arsenal’s success. The central playmaker roles have since been occupied by Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla. The problem this now presents for Ramsey is that neither of them look willing to vacate their spot.
Next: Arsenal's 30 Greatest Players Of All Time
By the beginning of the new year Jack Wilshere will also have returned, and possible January additions to alleviate the blow that is Francis Coquelin’s injury will create quite a crowded midfield at the Emirates. Aaron Ramsey is clearly one of Arsenal’s best players, but the system employed at the moment means that he will be a role player until he proves himself otherwise. There are clearly too many central attacking midfielders present for all of them to get exactly what they want, but the Welsh wizard is in real danger of losing his spot. If he does not come good and outshine some of his teammates, who knows what will happen to Aaron Ramsey’s first team role.