Friday 11 December 2015 16:23, UK
Arsenal's central midfield was ripped out by injuries to Santi Cazorla and Francis Coquelin but Aaron Ramsey's return to the middle could be good news for the Gunners, writes Nick Wright...
As injured Arsenal duo Cazorla and Coquelin wonder how to fill their time for the next few months, Ramsey is making plans of his own. "I have made no secret that I prefer to play in the middle and hopefully now I can stay there," he said after Saturday's 3-1 win over Sunderland. "My performance today was good and hopefully I can keep building on that now to play where I prefer to play."
Since January, a midfield combination of Cazorla and Coquelin has been Arsenal's bedrock in a calendar year in which they have taken more points than any other Premier League side. The unlikely but effective partnership was formed in the midst of an injury crisis, and it has been broken apart in similar circumstances 12 months later.
Having been switched to the right flank the last time Arsene Wenger restructured his midfield, Ramsey is now bidding to make a permanent return to the centre. The Welshman excelled there as Arsenal's player of the season in 2013/14, and against Sunderland he made the most of his first opportunity back in the position, providing the cross for Olivier Giroud's goal and scoring the third himself in a typically industrious display.
Ramsey often finds himself on the periphery of the action on the right, but he relished greater involvement on Saturday and the stats highlighted his influence. He ranked first for touches (145) and passes (124) with by far his highest totals of the season so far, and he drove Arsenal forward at every opportunity, creating four scoring chances and attempting five shots on goal. Indeed, he could easily have scored more.
This is the main area in which Ramsey differs from the more conservative Cazorla, who has not scored a single goal from open play since moving into central midfield. The Spaniard specialises in retaining possession in tight areas and intelligently feeding Arsenal's forwards, while Ramsey prefers to make things happen himself. "He is more an offensive player," said Wenger recently. "He is not a tactical, defensive player."
His occasional losses of possession were met with frustration around the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, but his pass completion rate of 91 per cent was actually marginally higher than Cazorla's average. He also fulfilled one of his other primary duties, which is providing service for conjurer-in-chief Mesut Ozil.
The German has been in dazzling form for Arsenal this season, creating more chances (63) and claiming more assists (12) than any other player in Europe's top five leagues, and it is in no small part down to the supply line from Cazorla.
According to Opta, Ozil has received 196 passes from the 30-year-old this season - nearly twice as many as any other player. Ramsey will need to form the same kind of understanding with Ozil if Arsenal are to maintain their title challenge over the coming months, and the early signs were encouraging against Sunderland as they exchanged 59 passes in total - the highest combination on the pitch.
Wenger will, however, be wary that Ramsey's attacking mindset could be exposed by stronger opposition. "We have to find a new balance, and that doesn't come immediately - you could see that in our fluency and continuity of passing," he said on Saturday. "We have to find new adjustments."
On other occasions, Ramsey will need to curb his attacking instincts to ensure Mathieu Flamini is not over-loaded. The Frenchman boasts an impressive work rate and Premier League tracking data shows he has covered more ground than any of his team-mates in their last two games, but he does not possess the same recovery speed as Coquelin, whose tackles and interceptions in front of the back four have been vital.
The injuries to Cazorla and Coquelin were heavy blows to Arsenal and they still need to strike the right balance in their absence. But on Saturday, Ramsey provided a timely reminder of what he brings to the centre. If he continues in the same vein, Wenger might find it tough to move him back onto the flank.
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