Arsenal vs AC Milan: This is what Aaron Ramsey was saved for

Arsenal were embarrassed against Brighton and Aaron Ramsey was spared the shame so that he could be the man against AC Milan. So be the man.

I have been digging through the ranks at Arsenal, looking for a potential hero for this upcoming match against AC Milan and I’ve only been able to turn up two potential candidates. The first is Danny Welbeck, and I’ll be stating his case later today (before the match).

The other is Aaron Ramsey, who actually flew under the radar, as he tends to do, solely because he was left out against Brighton and therefore did pop up on my list of disappointments, which included nine of eleven players.

Ramsey was saved the shame that was Brighton solely because Arsene Wenger wanted to save him for AC Milan.

It’s a bold move. A really bold move, especially given how the Brighton match turned out, but I have to respect Wenger’s call on this one. Ramsey is crucial to the success of this club, he produces more goals than anyone else and he does so far more consistently than anyone else as well.

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Which means that against AC Milan, at the San Siro, facing down a club that has been lights out in recent weeks (months, even), it will take a heroic effort to break them down.

Thankfully, Ramsey is nothing if he isn’t a hero. He has scored the game winning goal in not one, but two FA Cup finals, he has been through it all with this club, hanging around for a decade, he is a game-changer. He always has been.

And Arsenal desperately need a game changer.

Against Brighton, you could just feel it coming. No one was stepping up and those that were (Granit Xhaka, Calum Chambers) aren’t game-changers, per say. They play different roles. Everyone in a position to change the game fell flat.

Meanwhile, Ramsey was set aside to be the game-changer in this one, specific match.

Nothing quite like putting the majority of your eggs in one basket, but if there is any basket that we should trust our eggs in, it’s Ramsey’s. He’s been our best player this year by a country mile and it’s his contract saga that scares me the most of all the ones, past and present, that have haunted us.

Next: 5 Things Learned Against Brighton

I have confidence that it will pay off and you should too. Ramsey is a magic man, and if nothing else, you can be sure that he will do everything he possibly can to try to force his will on the match.