• Premier League

Wenger urges Ramsey to focus on team, not goals

Aaron Ramsey has failed to recapture his goalscoring form of last season for Arsenal © PA Photos

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes Aaron Ramsey needs to focus on helping the team rather than scoring goals as he struggles to regain his form from last season.

Ramsey, 23, won plenty of plaudits for his performances last term as his goals from midfield proved to be of huge importance to the FA Cup winners.

However, the Wales international, who netted the winner in the FA Cup final against Hull, has struggled to reproduce that form as his season has been affected by injury.

"He has to keep his priorities right. He needs to help the team. It's not about goal scoring," Wenger said ahead of Sunday's trip to Swansea.

Wenger also hinted that Theo Walcott could make the starting line-up against Swansea after recently returning to the Arsenal squad having been sidelined with injury since January.

The winger has so far been limited to an appearance off the bench against Burnley, but Wenger is confident enough in his fitness to give England manager Roy Hodgson his blessing to use Walcott as he pleases for the upcoming internationals against Slovenia and Scotland.

"He is in the squad. He can start if I decide to start him," Wenger said. "He needs playing time. Roy Hodgson is free to do what he wants."

Arsenal's last outing saw them relinquish a three-goal lead in the Champions League against Anderlecht to draw 3-3, with the defence coming in for plenty of criticism afterwards.

Wenger concedes the side were poor at the back, but he is hopeful they will learn from their mistakes going forward.

"We are very positive inside the camp," he added. "We are not affected by negativity. We are not happy when we don't win but that's it. We can learn a lot from what happened on Tuesday.

"We have special incidents. Some things we can correct, like the second and third goals. But we cannot influence the first goal. When the goal scorers are one yard offside, we cannot influence that.

"Every time we go to Geneva, [Pierluigi] Collina explains to us that the fifth referee is a fantastic finding. But when you see the pictures on the first goal, it is unbelievable. A guy stands behind the line in front of the offside guy and does not stay a word.

"I do not know what the guys behind the line are paid for. That is a general feeling shared by everyone who watches football. They should buy a seat for them, and give them a good book!"

Wenger also labelled any of the criticism aimed at his side following the slip-up as "predictable" after former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson said the team were "tactically clueless".

"If you are 3-0 up and get back to 3-3, you always get the same," he said when asked about the criticism.

"I have managed 2000 games and can anticipate what people will say. If you defend and get back to 3-3, people will ask why you defend and not continue to play a normal game. If you continue to attack, people ask why you attack. It is so predictable."

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