Where It's All Gone Wrong for Aaron Ramsey and What He Must Do to Fix Things

The last time Arsenal beat Manchester United was in May 2011. On that occasion, Aaron Ramsey scored the winner, meeting Robin van Persie’s cut-back to side-foot emphatically in to the corner. 

At the time, it was a rare glimpse of quality from a player struggling to find his best form. What Ramsey would have given for a similar momentary reprieve in Saturday’s game against Manchester United. Instead, he struggled through the match before being withdrawn after 77 minutes.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Last season, the thought of taking Ramsey off when chasing a goal would have been unthinkable. However, the Welshman had endured another difficult game in a disappointing season. His decision making was poor: in one instance, he chose to shoot from the edge of the box when a simple pass could have played Kieran Gibbs in. Then, during the second half, it was his weak header that allowed United to break and score their second.

If Ramsey was merely a shadow of his former self, that would be one thing. However, the real reason for worry is that this iteration of Ramsey is not entirely unfamiliar. We’ve seen it before. This is the Ramsey whose performances were regularly a cause for exasperation at the Emirates between 2011 and 2013; the same Ramsey whose blind backheels and overly-ambitious passing once made made him a lightning-rod for criticism.

It’s not just cause for concern—it’s cause for an investigation.

Where have the goals gone?

The most notable difference between this season and last for Ramsey has been the drop-off in his goal tally. He started the season with a goal against Manchester City in the Community Shield, before netting crucial strikes against Crystal Palace and Everton. 

However, Ramsey is now without a goal since August 23. Stats service Squawka demonstrate that there has been a remarkable decline in his shooting accuracy. In fact, Ramsey’s shooting is almost exactly half as effective as it was last year. In 2013/14, he hit the target with a spectacular 71 percent of his shots at goal. This season, that ratio has dropped to just 35 percent.

Aaron Ramsey's shooting accuracy this season | Squawka.com

That is partly an issue of confidence. In October of 2013, Ramsey admitted to Neil Moxley of the Daily Mail there was a significant psychological component to his goalscoring run:

"

In the past, I’ve got into positions like that and have not been so composed in front of goal. At the moment I am confident and I am composed in areas like that.

At the back end of last season I noticed the change, I got my confidence back and started playing some good stuff.

"

Goals tend to come in patches, and Ramsey’s 2013/14 patch happened to be particularly purple and prolonged.

There may be another factor to consider: What those stats don’t tell us is how difficult the shots Ramsey is now taking on might be. It’s much easier to test the goalkeeper from six yards than 30. Last season, Ramsey was regularly combining with two players to get in to the penalty area. He fed off the knock-downs of Olivier Giroud and raced on to the through balls of Mesut Ozil. Both players have been absent for much of this season. Without that supply line, Ramsey has struggled for clear-cut opportunities.

Paul Gilham/Getty Images

With Giroud now available for selection again, we might once more see the Welshman breaking beyond him to get in to the penalty area.

Has there been a decline in his defensive contribution?

Goals aren’t the only problem. Ramsey’s poor performances are a microcosm of Arsenal’s own, in that there are problems at both ends of the pitch.

When Ramsey talked about regaining his confidence in October 2013, he made reference to the back end of the preceding season. However, in the second half of 2012/13, Ramsey was not a regular goalscorer. Instead, he found himself deployed deep alongside Mikel Arteta as Arsenal sought to protect their vulnerable back four.

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Those were the performances that first began to win him acclaim. The goals that followed were only ever the icing on the cake. At times this season, it’s felt like Ramsey has forgotten the recipe that brought him success.

Arsene Wenger has alluded to it on several occasions. Per David Wright of The Express, Wenger said:

"

A midfielder is a player who defends well, attacks well and keeps his priorities right. He's not a goalscorer, so he has not to be obsessed by that. I just want him to do his job well. The goals are the consequence of the quality of his game. I don't believe that he has to be obsessed by that.

"

The inference is clear. Ramsey has sought to recapture accolades by racking up the goals but at what cost?

The numbers suggest the defensive part of his game has become less effective. Squawka demonstrate that in 2013/14 he won 52 percent of his tackles. This season, that number has fallen to 42 percent.

If Ramsey is to improve his all-round game, he may need to recalibrate his priorities.

It’s all about the chemistry

Football is all about partnerships. We’ve already touched on the importance of Ozil and Giroud in Ramsey’s success last season. At present, Ramsey is engaged in a partnership with Jack Wilshere that, for whatever reason, appears curiously dysfunctional. 

This season, Arsene Wenger has made a concerted effort to get Ramsey and Wilshere working in tandem. It’s understandable: they’re two talented young midfielders who both have a big part to play in the future of the club.

Clive Mason/Getty Images

However, it’s not quite working. The problem may be that Ramsey and Wilshere are just too similar: they both want to bomb on and join the attack, and neither has the positional discipline to lend the midfield the requisite balance.

This is the one area where Ramsey himself can do little to improve matters. It falls to Arsene Wenger to restructure his team in such a way that it brings the best out his players. Right now, Arsenal desperately need the Aaron Ramsey of last year. Between them, player and manager must do all they can to bring him back.

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