He is not the only fan or pundit being forced into a hasty retreat. When asked for his view immediately after the Marseille game, Theo Walcott even described Ramsey as "like a new signing". So what changed?
The central explanation is also the most obvious. It is about confidence and that does not simply mean the inner self-belief of Ramsey. His vast improvement has also been shaped by the confidence that was shown in him by Arsène Wenger.
This, of course, was most obviously manifested in the decision to award him a new contract until 2017, worth around £13?million.
At that time, Ramsey had been struggling when asked to start in place of Walcott on the right wing. He began playing in a midfield two with Mikel Arteta during the second half of last season and has continued to thrive in that role with either Jack Wilshere or Mathieu Flamini.
It has long been known at Arsenal that Ramsey covers more ground than any of his team-mates but the big difference is in how that energy is being used to influence games. Ramsey's goalscoring record – he has scored more times in the past four weeks for Arsenal than he did in the previous 28 months – is transformed.
"A year or so ago, the situation wasn't easy for him," said Wenger. "He was hesitant sometimes, and perhaps the crowd was impatient with him. Aaron shows great mental strength.
"He has also gained a lot of physical power in the last year, no longer struggling in challenges and duels but brushing opponents off. It's a great feeling for a midfielder to do that.
"On top of that, he's starting to score — something I always felt he was close to doing because he was often the next guy in the box."
Wilshere said after Wednesday's win over Marseille that it had even now got to the stage where Ramsey's team-mates are expecting him to score. "You get that feeling in every game – every shot he takes now seems to go in," he said.
Walcott believes that Ramsey is among the players to have benefited from Flamini's vocal influence.
"Mathieu's a leader, he's bossing people around and that's what we needed," said Walcott. It is also impossible to consider Ramsey's resurgence without reference to the trauma of the double leg fracture he suffered against Stoke City in Feb 2010. Although he was back playing football within a year, the mental healing and the development of his full physical potential has required patience.
"All that has happened is he's taken time and games to get stronger and get that fluidity back in his play," said Chris Coleman, the Wales manager. "I've had serious injuries myself. People talk about the physical part which is important as you have to get the agility, but mentally it is tough. This is the best we've seen. Mesut Özil is a great player, but if Aaron keeps playing like he is, then I don't think it will be Aaron Ramsey losing his place."
Craig Bellamy has known Ramsey since he joined the Cardiff at the age of nine and also sensed a big difference when they got together with Wales earlier this month. "What he has been through, the injuries and everything else has helped him to become the player he is – it's the best I've seen him," said Bellamy. Ramsey himself has said that there is "no better feeling than winning people over" and specifically noted the importance of playing regularly in his preferred central midfield position.
By coincidence, Arsenal's opponents on Sunday are Stoke City. Ryan Shawcross is still the captain yet it is a measure of Ramsey's progress that the dreadful memory of what happened at the Britannia Stadium more than three years ago has never felt more distant.
No comments:
Post a Comment