Arsene Wenger has praised Aaron Ramsey after his performance against Chelsea on Sunday, saying the box-to-box player “doesn’t hide in big games”.
The Welshman was awarded man-of-the-match for an excellent all-round display in midfield on Sunday. It was a significant improvement on his performance against Liverpool, and Arsene Wenger feels it proves Ramsey has character.
“He was [magnificent],” Wenger said, reports the talkSPORT. “I think Aaron has character, he doesn’t hide in big games and he has shown that today again. He was unlucky not to score.”
So far this season, Ramsey has been criticised for emptying the midfield too early. His job in the team was to make runs forward and support the attack, but this was leaving Granit Xhaka and the Arsenal defence too exposed to opposition counter attacks.
While several players performed poorly against Liverpool, Ramsey’s performance was notable for his lack of discipline. He was subbed at half-time for Francis Coquelin. His performance on Sunday was much-improve, in my opinion.
While he still got forward, he picked his moments better and played most of the game deep alongside Xhaka. As a result, Arsenal’s midfield was a lot more functional and gave better protection to the back three, I feel.
Ramsey has always had the quality to play in this way. I believe he’d come in for far less criticism if he played in this role more often, especially in the big games.