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Arsenal vs Stoke City: Time for Aaron Ramsey to bury demons
By Josh Sippie
Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey has some particularly poor memories playing against Stoke City, but the demons he needs to bury are much more complex than that.
Arsenal has seen a jubilant return to form in Aaron Ramsey since the 3-4-3 was implemented. The Welshman has always taken some time getting his feet underneath him, but now that he has had an extended run in a role that really suits him, we are seeing the Welsh Xavi again.
He has been one of, if not the, most creative attackers, a constant influence on the flow of the game and the potency of the attack and, while he has been a bit loose in possession at times, that is the last step he has to pass before regaining his true form.
Going into Stoke’s home ground of bet365 Stadium is going to be a tough match to navigate and they are going to need a bit of a cutting edge to break down the home side. Alexis and Mesut Ozil have, in the past, proven to be a bit less than needed in pressure situations, so having a true third option to press the attack has, as we have seen, been a huge difference maker.
Ramsey has demons plaguing him over these past few years, particularly in Stoke City, but those aren’t the demons I’m referring to that need to be buried. It’s nothing more than symbolic that he should bury his struggles at Stoke City.
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Ramsey needs to get back into his true form, and as mentioned, one big step is to keep control of the ball better. To not be so loose with his touches. That is a big step. But the other step, which is hardly even a step so much as it is a matter of time, is getting back onto the score sheet.
It’s no secret that 2016/17 has not been the year of Aaron Ramsey. It is almost the complete opposite of what he was in 2013/14. But this resurgence gives us hope that just around the corner is the true Ramsey.
Punching home a goal would be a weight lifted. There is a rather unflattering stat floating about that Ramsey has one of the highest shot counts without a goal in the Premier League. That is a demon that can weigh on your psyche and that needs to be buried with a goal before the season winds down.
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What better a stage than Stoke City, in the last away match of the season, with two more home games to go. The pressure will be lifted, the demons buried, and Ramsey can complete the trifecta with Alexis and Ozil.