Ramsey on fire
Wales, it appears, is the flavour of the EPL. After the media frenzy that accompanied the metamorphosis of Gareth Bale into a galactico, another Welshman has become the talking point in England. Aaron Ramsey is the man of the moment for Arsenal.
After scoring a grand total of two goals in 47 matches last season, the Welsh midfielder has found the back of the net six times in seven matches this term.
Ramsey was at it again against Marseille in the Champions League on Wednesday. He calmed Arsenal’s frayed nerves by scoring the team’s second goal in the closing stages. Even though the French club pulled one back from the spot in stoppage time, Ramsey had already done the damage. The superb form of Arsenal continues on the road with the 10th successive win. Maybe the Gunners should play all their matches away as the Emirates hasn’t proved to be as formidable.
The goal-scoring form of Ramsey couldn’t have come at a better time for Arsenal, whose squad has been struck by the injury curse so early in the season. With a majority of their first-team players trading the training ground for the treatment table and their forward line appearing as thin as a top model’s midriff, the Gunners desperately needed some midfielder to put his hand up for goal-scoring duty. Ramsey has donned the saviour’s role to perfection so far. Arsene Wenger needs more from the Welshman and his other midfielders throughout the season if he is to end the London club’s eight-year trophy drought.
Wenger, maligned and mocked in recent times by armchair judges including yours truly, deserves some credit for the resurgence of Ramsey, who is confidence personified in every department of the game these days. The Frenchman’s unwavering belief in the midfielder’s abilities is paying off now. Wenger showed admirable patience even when die-hard fans of Arsenal accused him of mollycoddling the misfiring Ramsey last season. Barring a Gervinho here and a Chamakh there, the Arsenal boss has proved to be a consummate judge of talent and he knows the difference between wheat and chaff. Ramsey who overcame a career-threatening knee injury needed time to become the player he once was.
Meanwhile, Kaka’s decision not to receive any wage from AC Milan during his injury rehabilitation has come as a blast of fresh air in the midst of the astronomical transfer fee Real splashed to secure the services of Bale and the jaw-dropping details of Cristiano Ronaldo’s extended contract at the same club. Kaka, who took a pay cut to return to Milan from Real, has once again acted with class, a quality footballers are often accused of lacking.
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