Why Aaron Ramsey Could Be the Man to Save Arsenal's Season

Aaron Ramsey is preparing to take centre stage once again. Having spent almost the entire season playing on the right wing, a series of injuries in the middle of the park have created an opportunity for the Welshman to reclaim his preferred position.

Arsene Wenger will be praying that Ramsey is able to find his groove immediately—the Gunners need him to step up and fill the midfield void to prevent their season from heading towards meltdown.

Just a week ago, Wenger discarded the idea of using Ramsey centrally. The Gunners boss told David Hytner of the Guardian:

"

Ramsey is more an offensive player, he is not a tactical, defensive player. I will use him there [centrally] when the game demands but is he naturally, with Cazorla, a balanced pair? Defensively, certainly, it’s a very adventurous one!

I used him on the right because he gives us a balance, because we have Özil, who is an offensive player, we have Sánchez, we have Giroud or Walcott [up front], and we have Cazorla, so to balance a bit defensively I use Ramsey on the right. That’s where I will certainly continue to use him, unless the game demands to attack.

"

How quickly things change. In his pre-match press briefing for the Sunderland game, Wenger admitted to Arsenal.com that Ramsey is now likely to resume his position in the middle.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Wenger’s hand has been forced. He might have liked to keep Ramsey on the flank, but the loss of both Francis Coquelin and Santi Cazorla for a period of months has forced him to go back to the drawing board. With Mikel Arteta, Tomas Rosicky and Jack Wilshere also sidelined, there really is no-one else to consider.

However, this is no emergency option. Ramsey is, after all, returning to what he believes to be his best position. If anything, his performances should be better in the middle than they have been on the wing.

He may have to curb some of his attacking instincts. On the wing, he was often permitted to sprint beyond the centre-forward and into the penalty box. That nose for a goal is one of his best attributes, but playing as one of a deep-lying pair, he will have show more circumspection about when he breaks forward.

Boris Streubel/Getty Images

He’s a very different midfielder to Cazorla. The Spaniard is a great continuity player, setting the tempo and keeping Arsenal’s smooth passing game ticking over. Ramsey, by instinct, is more someone who tries to force the play. He looks to accelerate the game and make things happen. That desire to provide game-changing moments may also have to be curbed in favour of a more considered approach.

Nevertheless, it could well work. In the calendar year of 2013, Ramsey filled this precise role impressively. In fact, his form throughout 2013/14 saw him crowned as Arsenal’s Player of the Season.

Catching Mesut Ozil, the undoubted front-runner for that award this time around, will prove difficult. However, Ramsey could still play an integral role in Arsenal’s campaign. At the moment, Wenger finds himself under fire after failing to recruit a single outfield player in the summer, despite Arsenal's dreadful injury record.

If Ramsey can plug the gap in midfield, he will win the gratitude of his manager and give him plenty to think about when Cazorla and Coquelin eventually return.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.