I must say, when he had his last great season I still felt there was a touch of luck about a few of the things of what he was doing, e.g. flicks conveniently working when they didn’t before, balls rolling in off the post that might have rolled wide before, power shots not hitting row Z.
The more this season has gone on more and more of what he does seems like geniune class.
Still, I thought he was really selfish not to pass the ball to Ozil when he scored yesterday. Ozil would have been left with an empty net, almost certain goal. Instead, he decided to beat the keeper himself, which probably gives him a ~50% chance of scoring.
I’ve changed my tune and he can be one of our top earners if that’s what it takes so give him the moneys.
He seems to be MOTM or a contender in pretty much every game and his game has matured so much. I know he has this reputation as a runner from deep which he’s always been good at and sometimes for finishing too but his dribbling, passing and vision have come a long way in the last few years too.
I’ve called him inconsistent in the past but I have a feeling this season is the beginning of his prime.
Funny thing is, I don’t think he has reached the performance levels of that incredible season from 4-5 years ago. That purple patch was something else. I can’t remember a more utterly dominant central midfielder who has played for Arsenal since prime Vieira or Fabregas.
However, he has added maturity and consistency to his game. There’s just that air of stability about him, I always feel calm when he has the ball. It also feels like he raises the level of those around him which is a rare quality.
Koscielny is next in line to be club captain, but we should give Ramsey the armband if it helps to make him stay. He’s one of those players who is very easy to notice on the pitch, he’s always easy to be “seen” - if we want a captain who leads from the front then there isn’t a better option than him.
You’re right, the stats aren’t too dissimilar. I seem to recall that he was absolutely on fire and then got injured which fucked up his momentum.
That year though he was making tackles outside of our own box, and then getting on the end of crosses 20 seconds later. He was a monster both defensively and offensively. Tackling, pressing, incisive passing (incredible link-up with Ozil), “fox in the box” type goals, long range screamers…
But thinking about it, I actually prefer this version of Ramsey all things considered. He’s playing with far more tactical acuity than before. There was a tendency to feel like he was going to lose the ball, or hang on to it for too long and waste an opportunity. You get a sense of composure and self-assuredness from him now.
I still think Wilshere is a safer option as a CM. Ramsey though is an elite attacking force. I honestly don’t think Ramsey should be playing CM alongside Xhaka. We need a ball carrier and someone who can pass between the lines. Ramsey is ok at the latter, but hardly competent at the former. Jack has been on bad form he’s not as bad as he’s been the past 6 weeks or so tbh.