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Arsenal: Now Reap The Rewards Of Faith In Aaron Ramsey
By Josh Sippie
Arsenal and Aaron Ramsey had a bit of a schism developing, but the Welshman’s consistency in the midfield is now returning. So rejoice!
Francis Coquelin’s return to health did not upset Arsene Wenger’s starting XI for Arsenal. He still went with Granit Xhaka and Aaron Ramsey and while the red card to Xhaka was disastrous, I still believe that the Ramsey-Xhaka partnership is the way to go forward.
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Mainly because Aaron Ramsey was amazing today. And I have no hesitations in stating that.
After spats with the golden boy Alexis and the echoing cries of not wanting to be used out wide, I had thought Ramsey would be sold this summer. It just felt like he didn’t have anywhere to go and Wenger wasn’t willing to invest the patience in him that he once was.
But fortune stepped in (and continues to) and gave Ramsey several matches to get back into the swing of things in the center of the pitch. Initially, it failed. Aside from his goal against Preston, there wasn’t much to speak of.
However, Wenger stuck with him, mainly because he had to, and for that last half hour against Swansea City, it started to look like he was getting it.
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Well, against Burnley, he got it. Ramsey was the commander in the center of the pitch. He was the only Gunner to register triple-digit touches and he made the most of them, completing 91% of his passes, creating two chances and completing more dribbles than not.
It was a display like we had seen him put forth in the Euros. Ramsey wanted this game to be his and it worked. He was confident on the ball, delivered workable crosses and put himself in dangerous positions. Just like old Ramsey.
I can still picture his run into the box and the ball from Alexis that was ticketed for the Welshman’s forehead. Only Giroud got in the way.
With Xhaka set to serve his suspension and likely sit a few games to ‘learn his lesson’, this extended time with Aaron Ramsey is going to be a blessing. With so few midfield options, even if Wenger for whatever reason wanted to, he would not be able to sit the Welshman.
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The more he can put up performances like what we saw against Burnley, the less imperative it is that we go breaking the bank for a Cazorla replacement. And I have to imagine Wenger is in favor of that.