Daily Bits and Bobs

Let Aaron Ramsey Go Arsene! January Plans Stepped Up?

Posted on by rico

Morning all.

Gossip:

Got to love the Mail. They reckon that in the next few days, Arsenal will step up their hunt for a Defender and Defensive Midfielder. Celtic’s Virgil van Dyke, Aston Villa skipper Ron Vlaar and Manchester United central defender Chris Smalling will be weighed up according to the newspaper.

Paris St Germain teenager Adrien Rabiot is on the club’s hit list as is Sporting Lisbon’s William Carvalho, but his £37 million release clause is a stumbling block. Slight snag there. Hasn’t Rabiot just signed a new deal with PSG?

They are not known for getting much right when it comes to transfers, or much really. In the same article they have us down to be playing Hull City this weekend…

As we all know, we head off to Wales this weekend to face Swansea and Arsene Wenger has revealed the latest team news.

I wonder who will pay the toll fee at the bridge… Bet Arsene doesn’t.

As expected, Mikel Arteta misses out with a ‘mild hamstring strain’! A grade one apparently and he shouldn’t be out for too long, in fact straight after the international break  and ready to face Manchester United.

Olivier Giroud continues to recover well and he’ll be getting stuck into full training next week, although I’m not sure who he’ll be training with as most of our players will be away on international duty. Perhaps he and Mertesacker can train, one against the other with Gnabry firing in a few crosses. Who knows, by the end of it, Merts might have gotten over his phobia. I don’t know the big posh word for being in fear when ones feet leave the ground!

Jack Wilshere has recovered from whatever virus which has been going around the camp and he’s back in the squad. Virus? The only virus in the squad in my opinion is yellow belly and no, I don’t mean being born and bred in Lincolnshire.

Debuchy, Ospina and Ozil are progressing very well, but  none will be back in training any time soon and finally, Laurent Koscielny. He has a ‘little chance’ to be back after the international break.

Talking of which, Calum Chambers, Kieran Gibbs, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain,Theo Walcott, Danny Welbeck and Jack Wilshere have all been called up to play for England. Six players, when was the last time that happened, if ever? The first match is a Euro 2016 qualifier against Slovenia, the second, a pointless friendly in Scotland. Still, Theo will get more minutes on the pitch and in training and hopefully we’ll benefit when he comes back.

Back to the manager’s press conference. He was quizzed about the decline in form of Aaron Ramsey and asked what he thinks the player needs to do in order to get back to how he was playing last season:

He said something like –

Just keep the priorities right, a midfielder is a guy who defends well and makes the other players play in the team and just focus on that. You have to be guided on not what people say but the way we want to play, the way the game should be played. People say when you have a disastrous game and you score a goal you have been great but as a midfielder you have to keep your priorities right, defend well and attack well and give the ball to the other players, that’s the heart of the game and basically what the game is about. It’s not about goal scoring, goal scoring is a consequence of playing well first, so focus on playing well.

Well that’s not the first time Aaron Ramsey and ‘the focus not being goals’ has been mentioned by Arsene Wenger which makes me think Ramsey has his wings clipped. Last season before injury struck, he was popping up with goals often and his game was superb.

If Ramsey has been told not to get so far forward, perhaps he feels restricted and it’s having an impact on his game.

Let him go Arsene, let him play the way that is natural to him and then we might see the real Aaron Ramsey back.. We might in any case if anyone fancies watching Wales play next week….

Sign a defensive midfielder, don’t try and turn creative or attacking players into one!

That’s it for another day…..

rico

63 thoughts on “Let Aaron Ramsey Go Arsene! January Plans Stepped Up?”

  8. David Omabukodo says:

    He’s been diagnosed with Oppositional Defiance Disorder, which means that mentally, he doesn’t know what to do to deliver anymore. Is coaching AFC your birth right Arsene? Those boys aren’t playing well because they are tired of your ineptitude (with no disregard). Just leave with your ‘so lucky’ FA cup trophy and spare us of your obnoxious, tactically clueless dispositions at our great club.

  11. Wath says:

    I bet your at least value for money Bt which is more than can be said for that other bloke….

    Morning Rico…! well sort of…. what’s left of it.

  18. allezkev says:

    I don’t know about anybody else, but I cannot remember the last time, if ever, that I have reached this stage of the season and felt as disinterested and dispirited about the Arsenal, as I currently do…

    I can’t be bothered to read about them in the Press.

    Or listen to the radio.

    Watching MotD is a massive effort now.

    I haven’t even seen the Anderlecht goals, I couldn’t be bothered Googling them.

    The management of the club, both at Boardroom & Coaching level, had eroded any lingering enthusiasm that I gained from last seasons cup win…

    I cannot bare listening to Wenger anymore.
    He is so out of touch it’s frightening to think that he’s still in charge.

    My love of football and Arsenal is gradually seeping away…

    I only come on here to read the funny comments…

    God, I sounding like Wath… 😀

  25. frednerk says:

    Kev, That’s what you call a set of Hamsteads.

    Mate of mine is walking around with the biggest smug smile you can imagine,
    his been going on about the support wengers gets from us who think the sun shines,
    Told you lot years ago, “The man is Sinile,he wouldn’t know the difference between a CentreBack and CentrePede.

  26. allezkev says:

    BT/Rico/Lee, if it wasn’t for HH, I really don’t think that I would bother at all, anymore…

    Sick of watching, on the odd occasions that I do, a team for of under motivated, tactically ignorant millionaires who seem to spend all their time talking about their next contract.

  28. BT62 Gooner says:

    Rico, that number gets less and less, each season…
    Some of us woke up years back, some are still dazed ,confused and blinded by AW…
    The realization will finally hit them in the face, like a big wet kipper.

  30. Wavy says:

    Fred, I bet he knows the prices of Centre Parks though! He knows what it is to Park the bus across the lines to stop us playing the game, but he hasn’t got a clue how to un jam the coach rows!!
    Inept, totally inept.

  32. rogerbij says:

    Im a glutton for punishment Kev. Ill keep my hand in the honey pot. I watched the 3-3 capitulation and Ill watch this week’s one. At least I dont have to support England… but maybe I should, 6 in the squad! We must be doing something right, or…

    Thanks for my Friday distraction Rico, and a good post with some nice cheek thrown in there. As a talking point I think Wenger has it more or less right on Aaron. My verdict – he’s trying too hard to be super Aaron. And its driving me nuts. There is a place to do the fancy flicks, and thats in their danger zone. Do the simple things immaculately in the middle of the park, distribution and vision, strong tackling, good positional play. And then when the breaks open up for us surge in there. But not every bloody time. We know he can shoot, we know he can score, but Wenger is right that there is a job to be done first and foremost. Then take advantage when the spaces come.

  33. rogerbij says:

    ps Im also on the injury list after picking up a hamstring strain in last nights game. I sent Wenger an sms, I should be back after the international break.

  34. Jon says:

    Saying that a box to box should only be allowed to attack does not make any sense. Scoring goals does not mean that it was his main duty… he is a box to box like Lampard or Toure. Sometimes they score but most of the time they simply get the ball back, lay good passes and being great for their team. Most people criticizing Wenger , criticized Ramsey, and they talk as if They know better where when how to play him. He was great on the 2nd half of the 2012-2013 season and he wasn’t scoring . He was simply doing what he was meant to be doing. Wenger is right when he is saying that Ramsey should get back to the basics and that he should not be listening to people who think good of him ONLY when he is scoring.
    Tactically if Ramsey is allowed to not defend it means that there will be only one player in front of the defense. Even Xavi had to defend next to busquet for Barcelona. Modric and Kroos are doing that for Real Madrid. scholes and keane did that for Man U, Vieira and Gilberto Silva did that for Arsenal. And you are suggesting that Ramsey should not help defend. You should give this tactic to Mourhino, I am pretty sure that he will die of heart attack.
    Wenger said that Ramsey should defend and make the other players in the team play, basically he said that Ramsey should pass to his teammates and not go everytime in the opponent surface. To be creative you must pass the ball or dribble. Are you suggesting that Wenger said to Ramsey to not pass the ball??? If he did say that he really should be sacked because no coach ever would tell one of his central midfielders (I am not talking about defensive midfielders) to do that.
    Hatred is fine if you can be logical.

  35. Jon says:

    David Omabukodo – it must be tough going 10 years without a trophy because when I read your comment, I thought that Wenger won the FA cup and arsenal did not… or simply maybe it is a trophy for those who supported Kos, mert, Gibbs, Sagna, Ramsey, Giroud and the others… and it is not one for those who wanted Shawcross, Parker, and all the others in our team…

  36. Hell Raising Devil says:

    I am so expensive that even I find it difficult to trust myself with myself. 😛

    Good evening Good Sirs and Sweet Ladies.

    Kev……imo you are getting a touch of the sun through heavy clouds surrounding London. Its called Seasonal affective disorder….SAD for short. It affects everyone who lives in London especially when Arsenal are not doing well. When Arsenal are doing well everyone takes notice…..including the poison dwarf.

  38. rico says:

    Roger, glad you liked the bit of cheek..

    Re Ramsey, I’m not suggesting he shouldn’t defend, each and every play has to do that in certain games but I just think that perhaps Ramsey isn’t being allowed to play his natural game because we lack a proper Cdm etc…

    Was just a thought really when trying to understand why Ramsey has been off so much this season…

  39. rico says:

    Jon, no need for your dig at David, each to their own view!

    As for Ramsey, where in the post have I suggested he doesn’t have to defend when needed?

  41. Wavy says:

    Devil, geographically speaking, where are you? Are you still on the island of Aphrodite or are you elsewhere? Will we win on Sunday or will we not?
    Sod SAD I need to know what the tea leaves foretell?

  46. Adam says:

    Afternoon Rico, Kev and all. Very odd press conference by Arsene today with a peculiar take on Merson’s criticism. Still, I suppose I couldn’t expect him to say “I fucked up” really.

  52. potter says:

    Send me some of the questions Bt , Having been quizmaster at my local for the best part of 10 years I am always looking for something new or questions that I have not asked.

  53. Wavy says:

    Here you are Potter
    “If this is the question what is the answer” (Oxbridge philosophy entrance questions)
    Answers on a post card to Highbury House.
    I will give you the 100% answer after the Swansea game, if I remember!
    Night all.

  54. Lewis says:

    Morning all,

    Just watched Wengers presser from yesterday, I have managed over 2000 games……blah blah blah………

  55. Lewis says:

    Whats the betting we see the same tired starting 11 this weekend with the same tired tactics.

    Monreal and Santi both need benched. I would like to see campbell and bellerin come in to replace them. Flamini will probably have to start which is a sad state of affairs really as he is just not good enough.

    It’s very sad but I find it very hard to stay positive about The Arsenal these days, I’ve turned down 3 chances to see them play this season already.

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