Aaron Ramsey 'Bottled It' During Arsenal's Loss to Watford, Says Troy Deeney

Watford captain Troy Deeney believes Aaron Ramsey "bottled it" after Younes Kaboul's free-kick deflected in off him during the Hornets' 2-1 win over Arsenal on January 31. 

Per the Mirror's Liam Corless, he said: "I think he bottled it a little bit. Ramsey's mistake was our blessing. I have come up with Sean Dyche and Malky Mackay, and if we had turned our back on the ball like that, they would have had strong words with us."

Ramsey turned his back on the set piece, which came off him and past goalkeeper Petr Cech to open the scoring for Watford.

The Wales international was substituted after 20 minutes with a calf injury that will cause him to miss upcoming matches against Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Sutton United.

ESPN FC's Mattias Karen sympathised with him after spending a lengthy period on the sidelines earlier in the season:

Since his exceptional 2013-14 campaign, in which he bagged 16 goals including the winner against Hull City in the FA Cup final, Ramsey has struggled to recapture that form for Arsenal and is among their most divisive players.

Arsenal blogger Tim Stillman cannot understand the strength of reaction the midfielder gets on social media:

Indeed, while Ramsey's recent performances in a Gunners shirt have left something to be desired, he's still a fine player and a valuable member of their squad—particularly if he can recapture his earlier form.

Deeney perhaps has a point, though. Kaboul's goal, just 10 minutes into the match at the Emirates Stadium, might have been avoided if Ramsey had taken the ball on his chest rather than turning from it.

The setback immediately put the Gunners on the back foot, and three minutes later, Deeney doubled Watford's lead after Etienne Capoue had marauded virtually unchallenged through their defence.

Arsenal's lack of resilience has long been their downfall and cost them again when they faced Chelsea on Saturday.

ESPN FC's Miguel Delaney noted as much after they capitulated following Marcos Alonso's controversial opener:

The back-to-back defeats leave Arsenal 12 points behind the Blues, and with the Premier League table so tight behind Chelsea, they can just as easily finish sixth as they could second.

Arsenal's mental fragility is a collective failing, but it comes down to individual moments of weakness—such as Ramsey turning his back or Francis Coquelin being outfought by Eden Hazard for Chelsea's second last weekend—and the inability to respond positively.

Until the Gunners can show sustained improvement in that regard, the pattern will only repeat itself.