Aaron Ramsey Must Evolve in New Role If Arsenal Are to Save Stuttering Season

Step back 12 months in time, and the world of football seemed a very different place. Manchester United were the defending Premier League champions, and the likes of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard were still very much full England internationals.

While the early exchanges of this season's Premier League campaign are being dominated by Chelsea, in 2013/14, it was all about Arsenal. At the corresponding international break a year ago, Arsenal were six points clear of Manchester City, who would eventually go on to become champions.

Arsene Wenger's side were flying, and for the most part, that was down to the scintillating form of Aaron Ramsey. After a difficult few seasons following that horrific leg break against Stoke City, Ramsey seemed to have finally found his feet once more.

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

Not only was he contributing with assists and neat build-up play, but he was also weighing in with a heavy share of goals, too. In his first 10 games last season, Ramsey had six goals to his name. The Welshman was an integral part of the side, but a lengthy spell on the sidelines was looming once again.

Ramsey would be injured for a fair chunk of the start of 2014, and by the time he returned, Arsenal were well and truly out of the title picture.

Unfortunately for both Ramsey and Arsenal, his form has yet to sparkle once again. In fact, since that spell on the sidelines, the Wales international has seemed a shadow of the man who was such a key figure for the Gunners 12 months ago.

Of course, there are some mitigating factors.

Most notably, Ramsey has been forced into a deeper position due to the arrival of Alexis Sanchez. This will have affected the amount he gets forward and becomes a fulcrum in the Arsenal attack, given how Wenger likes to have one or two of his midfielders protecting the back four.

The stats seem to suggest that could be the case, too. With just two goals, a solitary assist and an average of 0.4 dribbles per game, according to WhoScored.com, this is far from the Ramsey that Arsenal fans became accustomed to seeing last season.

While Wenger's positioning of Ramsey must be factored into the argument, there is little doubting that Ramsey himself is suffering from a crisis in confidence.

With the Gunners struggling for form themselves, their go-to men have been thrust increasingly into the spotlight. Sanchez has delivered, but most others in the Arsenal side have failed to cope with that pressure.

Ramsey himself is clearly being deployed in a different role for Arsenal this season, and he is struggling. He was recently on the end of some rather scathing criticism from Wenger, too:

Clearly, it is a case of Ramsey having to evolve. This new deeper role he has been asked to play means we shouldn't really expect to see anywhere near the same number of goals as last year. Besides, Alexis Sanchez seems to be looking after that particular aspect of Arsenal's game all on his own.

What Arsenal need is the Ramsey who is calm, composed and able to make play happen from the back of midfield. His passing map from the Swansea game seems to back up what Wenger is saying:

Credit: Squawka

That's clearly not good. With Arsenal having a crisis of confidence at the back, they need Ramsey to step up to the plate and do the role Wenger is asking him to perform.

Otherwise, the Welshman could find himself out of the team in no time.