Arsenal: Aaron Ramsey Only Has One Major Flaw

Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey is another polarizing figure on the squad, but when you get down to it, he only really has one major defining flaw.

When it comes to polarizing figures on Arsenal’s squad, the two major ones are Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey. Having just went on a ramble-fest about Giroud and how wonderful he is for this squad, I figured it was time to do the same with the Welshman, just from a different angle.

Aaron Ramsey is a fantastic player. He is often criticized for having ‘one good year’ in 2013/14 but that is rubbish. I have spoken at length about that numerous times. Injuries and being moved around disrupted that form but his returns have actually been right on par with what he did that unforgettable year.

Without the hard statistics to back him up though, he is always going to be the subject of criticism based on his last performance alone.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

Ramsey has so many definable qualities. For starters, his ability to pick and choose his position in the attack is without flaw. He manages to pop up in goal-scoring positions at the drop of a hat. He’s in a bit of a slump lately in converting them, but to his credit, the service just has not been clicking recently either, for Arsenal as a whole.

Not only that, but Ramsey’s work ethic is unstoppable. Even in the dying embers of the game, he is hoofing it up and down the pitch, fighting for every last ball.

When it comes to passing, a staple for midfielders, Ramsey certainly holds his own. For a deep-lying midfielder, he ranks in at fourth on Arsenal in chances created, behind just Ozil, Alexis and Cazorla. An 87% pass completion to pair with it is nothing to scoff at (stats via WhoScored).

So what is the one main flaw? Well, many will tell you it is his selfishness, but I’d beg to differ. He will fire from range from time to time, but given the inconsistency of Arsenal’s scoring game, I can’t always blame him for that.

The one main flaw Ramsey has is in maintaining possession. As a deep-lying midfielder, he is dispossessed/loses possession 4.6 times per appearance. Majority of the time, that is going to be in the middle of the pitch, where he plays, and it is going to give the opposition a premium chance to counter. That 4.6 is second only to Alexis Sanchez’s 5.6, but Alexis is a forward, so it’s not always as detrimental.