Why Aaron Ramsey Is Under Most Pressure for Arsenal Following Win at West Brom

Arsenal have enjoyed a good week. After the dispiriting defeat to Manchester United, they have responded with back-to-back wins against Borussia Dortmund and West Bromwich Albion. However, rightly or wrongly, there remains a cloud of pressure and negativity over Arsenal’s Welsh midfielder, Aaron Ramsey.

There are different kinds of pressure for a footballer to face. Danny Welbeck might have been Arsenal’s match-winning hero yesterday, but he is still likely to suffer the stress of finding his first-team place under threat come Wednesday’s match with Southampton. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was rested rather than dropped at the Hawthorns and will expect to reclaim his spot in the side. What’s more, Theo Walcott will soon be available for selection once more. Welbeck knows he must continue scoring to keep his place.

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Ramsey faces no such peril. With Mesut Ozil, Jack Wilshere and Mikel Arteta all sidelined through injury, he is all but guaranteed a starting spot. The challenge for him is altogether different: he is not being compared with another member of the Arsenal squad but with his remarkable form of 2013/14.

Last season, Ramsey was Arsenal’s goalscoring talisman. He’s struggled to extend that remarkable run in front of goal, and his vexation about that fact has manifested itself in a palpable shift in his priorities. As he has set about trying to rediscover that finishing prowess, Ramsey has been prone to moments of selfishness. His desire to make a tangible impact on the game has clouded his decision-making, much to the Arsenal fans’ exasperation.

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At times against West Brom, it seemed the fans’ frustrations were beginning to find echoes among Ramsey’s team-mates. In the game’s latter stages, Arsenal had several opportunities to catch a ragged West Brom on the counter-attack. However, Ramsey twice opted to shoot from an absurd distance when team-mates were better placed. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was unable to disguise his anger at one point.

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However, there have been signs in the past two matches that Ramsey’s game is beginning a steady process of recovery. A lack of goals can sometimes obscure assessment of a player’s all-round performance. Against West Brom, Ramsey created three separate goalscoring chances for his team-mates. His incisive ball to find Danny Welbeck in the first half was perhaps the pass of the game.

He also showed improved positional discipline. For much of the season, Ramsey has been guilty of recklessly bombing forward at every opportunity. Against West Brom, he recognised the need to sit deeper and provide protection for the back four. Ramsey’s performances might not be what they were, but they are certainly moving in the right direction.

Speaking to Arsenal.com, Ramsey emphasised the importance of the win to the team’s momentum:

"

Even though there was pressure, we played well against Man United and just built on that. We won in midweek against Dortmund and carried on and got back to winning ways in the league, so hopefully we can continue this run now.

It was important to build on midweek and keep this run going and it is nice to win again. It was never going to be easy with the quick turnaround but we did well, we dug in and got the three points.

"

Ramsey will be crucial to Arsenal finding any kind of consistency. Without Wilshere and Arteta, he has become essential to their hopes. As Ramsey continues to search for his best form, Arsene Wenger and the Arsenal fans must hope his displays continue their recent positive trajectory.

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.