What Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey Must Do to Rediscover to His Best Form

Last season, Aaron Ramsey was Arsenal’s undisputed player of the year. Not only did his box-to-box brilliance thrust the Gunners in to the title race, but he even managed to grab the Wembley winner that ended a nine-year wait for silverware. As far as Arsenal fans were concerned, 2013/14 belonged to Ramsey.

However, this season he has struggled to recreate that blistering form. In this piece, we outline a three-point plan to see Ramsey return to his best.

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1. Get fit

Ramsey can’t begin to address the issue of his form until he’s available for selection. Unfortunately, doubts persist over Ramsey’s ability to withstand injuries. In the middle of last season, he missed four months with a thigh problem. Although he recovered in time to play a crucial role in the FA Cup final, he has carried an air of vulnerability since.

When Ramsey succumbed to his latest thigh problem at the end of September, Wenger told John Cross of the Mirror:

"

We have to really look at what happened.

There’s no logic as it’s two players who were not involved in the week - no Arteta, not Ramsey - and they had quite a light week for them. We have to analyse what happened there. I don’t understand.

"

Hopefully Arsenal have got to the bottom of the matter. Despite fears Ramsey could be out until November, Wenger has told Arsenal.com he is now just days away from returning:

"

For Ramsey it's day 13 today and I think it will be day 21 before he is back into training.

"

Ramsey will hope that the remainder of his season is free of enforced absences. Niggling injuries will slow his momentum and prevent him hitting the heights of 2013/14.

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2. Start deep

Aaron Ramsey is at his best when deployed alongside Mikel Arteta at the base of the Arsenal midfield.

Earlier this season, enthused by Ramsey’s goalscoring tally of 2013/14, Wenger seemed keen to shift the Welshman in to an advanced No. 10 role. However, the Gunners boss now seems to have realised the error of his ways, telling John Cross of the Mirror:

"

You have to get him to start from the back.

He is a Lampard type and when you watch the picture again, who is in the box? Oh, my friend Aaron is there! But he has to start from midfield.

"

Not only does Ramsey’s goalscoring instinct benefit from a deeper starting position, but his physicality and stamina also make him important to Arsenal’s defensive game. Ramsey is more than just a predator. At his best, he is the complete midfielder.

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3. Keep it simple

It's easy to forget, but no so long ago Aaron Ramey was an emblem of the Arsenal fans' frustrations with their team. 

At that time, his game was blighted by a tendency to over-complicate. The aimless backheel in to space was a troubling trademark of his game.

Worryingly, those wasteful traits have begun to creep back in to Ramsey's performances. He needs to get back to basics. Wenger confirmed the same to the Mirror:

"

I believe he felt a bit more pressure to score. You have always to come back to basics.

What is my job? Midfielder, win the ball and give a good pass.

He has a natural engine and a consequence of that is he will have chances, but if every time you play you think you have to score, and every time you want to be in the box, you forget a little bit about the basics of the job.

"

Ramsey's addition to goals may have clouded his focus a little. When he returns, he needs to ensure he has his priorities right. He is a midfielder first and a goalscorer second.

 

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and will be following the club from a London base throughout the 2014/15 season. Follow him on Twitter here.