In the midst of a lot of debate in regards to who Arsenal’s central midfield pairing should be, the Gunners’ star Aaron Ramsey has come out and stated his desire to play centrally alongside Francis Coquelin, where Santi Cazorla is currently being deployed. Ramsey admitted that he is not very happy playing out wide, stating that he has more of an influence on the game playing through the middle.

As quoted by The Daily Mirror, the Welshman said: “I’m not hiding away from it, I want to be playing in the middle. Santi is in my position at the moment. He is the one who plays alongside Francis Coquelin and tries to get forward. I am trying to get that back. That is what I like to do, to get the ball and drive the team forward.”

“I am used to getting the ball a lot more in the middle of the park, I like to be involved in everything, starting attacks. So out on the wing you are relying on other people to get you in the game. So it is a bit frustrating.”

I have to say, I completely agree. While Santi isn’t a bad option to play the central midfield role either, I believe the Spaniard isn’t as effective as Rambo playing in that position. It’s a little difficult to understand really, because Wenger opts to play a natural central midfielder out on the flank and a natural Number 10 in central midfield. Now although both players are capable of putting in a shift in those positions as well, it takes quite a bit out of their influence on the game, as we saw in the game against Manchester United when Rambo immediately produced after being moved to his preferred role.

Now the reason for Wenger deploying Aaron on the right flank is to give the team more work-rate, something that Theo Walcott does not offer much of and so it is understandable to a certain extent. But in games at home where the onus is on Arsenal to attack, Wenger must play Ramsey centrally and start with a natural winger playing out wide as it gives the team more penetration and incisiveness.

With Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also now back in full training, I really hope that Le Prof will opt to start either The Ox or Theo on the right flank and partner Coquelin with Ramsey in the FA Cup final. If last season’s Cup final is anything to go by, we can be sure that Rambo will thrive in that role.

1 thought on “Arsene Wenger MUST listen to Rambo

  1. Rambo is dead right. But sadly Wenger has wanted to find a way of playing all his skilled passers at once. Especially in the top games Ramsey must play central. Otherwise we have only one ball winner in midfield !

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