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Arsenal: Patience With Aaron Ramsey Will Pay Off
By Josh Sippie
Arsenal witnessed a putrid Aaron Ramsey for the first hour against Swansea City, but the more patience you give Ramsey, the better he gets.
Arsenal deployed the only midfield duo they could against Swansea City – Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey. It was a duo that I’ve been dying to see for ages and after shaky initial reviews, there was some obvious optimism going into a match-up with Swansea City.
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That turned sour really quick. Aaron Ramsey looked like a kid on a playground, only not in the traditional sense. He didn’t look happy and creative and just having a good time. He looked like he couldn’t care less. He was flipping balls all over the place. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ramsey pass that poorly.
It lasted for about 45 minutes to an hour. Ramsey just did not fit in.
But then it started coming together. He started showing what we have come to love about Ramsey – an ability to pop up in dangerous areas and a certain incisiveness when you least expect it.
That last twenty or thirty minutes against Swansea showed Ramsey in much more control. His passing improved, his positioning improved, everything improved. And to be fair, he had been secure on the ball all day, not giving into the high pressure that Swansea initially put forth.
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It reminded me, and it should have reminded all of us, that one of the main things you need with Ramsey at times is patience. When he is returning from long lay-offs, it takes him some time to get back into the swing of things.
It can be frustrating and most of the time it takes place at a period where we can’t afford patience. But at this moment, we have no choice but to have patience, with the midfield depleted, and thankfully, that patience is going to pay off.
All he needs is time to gel. Time to get his feet back underneath him. He has had a frustrating season, which takes a toll on a player mentally. So let him have a few run-outs in a central role, watch that frustration melt away and revel in what the Welshman can become.
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It was clear that he was afforded freedom against Swansea. That is the first step. Now all he has to do it harness that freedom and the Ramsey revival will happen right before our eyes.