Arsenal: Anyone want to try claiming Aaron Ramsey isn’t needed?

Arsenal’s loss to Tottenham had many problems, but one of them was not trying anything new. So, what were people saying about Aaron Ramsey not being needed?

Arsenal lacked mental acuity against Tottenham, but a major, major player was also a lack of what I call the Joel Campbell factor. Cast whatever doubt you want on the Costa Rican international but there was one thing he did incredibly well – he wasn’t afraid to shake things up.

Occasionally his shake up would end up in the 43rd row, or end up with the ball squeegeed out of play, but he made defenses uncomfortable.

The Gunners played on the back foot all day. They played timid, scared, and tried to impose their will on a game that just didn’t want it. This was the mold they cast all match. No one tried to change it and/or no one was capable of changing it.

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It became clear early on that Henrikh Mkhitaryan was out of sorts. Mesut Ozil was suffocated. The holding midfield was slow, lethargic and uninspired. Jack Wilshere was solid, but he lacked that innovative edge.

Who has that innovative edge? Aaron Ramsey.

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I am so sick of seeing (insert nice word) people saying that they would rather sell Ramsey if it meant holding Wilshere because Ramsey isn’t needed. Today, against Spurs, you saw what happens when there isn’t a Ramsey on the pitch.

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While it’s impossible to say how much of a difference he would have made, if any at all, it is easy to say what Ramsey would have brought that we lacked – he would have brought that Joel Campbell factor. He is dangerous from distance and he just has a way of getting into dangerous areas, something no one else seemed capable of doing.

Tactically, it was a steaming dump. It never ceases to amaze me how this team can be surprised by how tenacious another team can be. The Gunners looked completely shell-shocked. Which, again, in that situation, give me Ramsey. Ramsey is fearless. Timidity is not in his repertoire. It is, however, in the repertoire of many of the guys we saw out there.

Of course, he was hurt. So there was nothing that could have been done about it. But please, can we stop acting like Ramsey is some dispensable, easily-replaced squad player? He leads the team in goal contributions despite playing significantly less minutes than anyone else near him.

Next: 5 Things Learned Against Tottenham

He is a firecracker. He is an innovator. He does things that no one else on the club can do and he makes himself a constant threat. Clearly that’s not as replaceable as some people think.