Why Aaron Ramsey Has the Most to Prove for Arsenal vs. Swansea

This weekend Arsenal travel to Wales to face Swansea City in the Premier League. After the disappointment of allowing Anderlecht to claw back a three-goal advantage in midweek, it’s vital they respond with a positive performance.

Few players will be more motivated than Aaron Ramsey.

As a former Cardiff player, the match at Swansea is always a big occasion for the Welsh international. Last season, he was barracked by the opposition fans. However, for a player at the peak of his confidence, the abuse merely served as a motivation. 

Speaking to WalesOnline after the game, Ramsey admitted: "They (the Swansea fans) gave me a lot of stick throughout the game. It was nice to get on the scoresheet and give some banter back to them because being an ex-Cardiff player, it means a bit more to me."

Ramsey certainly made the Swans supporters pay for their jibes, lashing home the winning goal and delivering a man-of-the-match display.

Michael Steele/Getty Images

That barnstorming performance was no anomaly. Throughout the 2013/14 campaign, Ramsey was consistently outstanding. Not even a four-month lay-off with a thigh injury could halt his progress. Ramsey returned just as effective, firing Arsenal to glory in the FA Cup and cementing his place in Gunners history.

Inevitably, he followed the cup coronation by being crowned Arsenal’s official Player of the Year. The acclaim was universal. There was no realistic rival to his throne.

However, this season his form has dramatically declined. This Ramsey looks more akin to the inconsistent player who became a lightning conductor for criticism at Arsenal between 2011 and 2013.

Unlike many of his colleagues, Ramsey cannot point to a summer of exertion at the World Cup as an excuse for his laboured performances. A few months of rest ought to have him in perfect shape for this season. Instead, the fear is that a summer on the beach reflecting on his accolades may have done more harm than good.

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In recent performances, Ramsey has seemed fixated on adding to his goalscoring tally. It’s as if he sees finding the net as the key to recapturing his form.

Ramsey is wrong: The goals were only ever the icing on the cake. Ramsey’s form first began to improve in the spring of 2013, when he was playing in a defensive pivot alongside Mikel Arteta. His goalscoring record may have won him wider admiration, but the Arsenal fans who watched him week to week were won over by his all-round game before then.

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Manager Arsene Wenger has publicly reinforced the need for Ramsey to get his priorities right. Speaking to the BBC about the route to recovering the midfielder’s form, he said: "It's not about goal-scoring. Goalscoring is a consequence of playing well first so focus on playing well. You have to keep your priorities right as a midfielder, defend well and attack well and give good goals to the other players."

Ramsey must know better than most what it is to take baby steps. Let’s not forget, this is a player who recovered from a potentially career-ending injury. He understands the importance of not trying to run before you can walk.

Ramsey might not find his goalscoring form at Swansea this weekend. However, if he can put in a solid midfield display, he will still have made a significant contribution.

For Ramsey, the basics—and the team—must come first.

 

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.