Originally Posted by
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Yes, of course. I was including Ramsey as a general type of player who Özil needs around him - basically players who put in the energy that he often doesn't, and who offer movement and goal-threat, whether that's in front of him (strikers), from the side (wingers / wide atatckers), or on the overlap (attacking midfielders). The general point was that he's a play-maker in the attacking third, so his role is always going to be contingent on having other players around him to actually provide for (in the same way that forwards like Auba and Laca will always be largely reliant on the service they receive to do their jobs) - it would be nice if he could chip in with a few more goals himself, and get involved with the high-press, but the need for a supporting cast kind of goes with the territory with that type of player. If Ramsey has been getting in his way, then adapt their positions slightly so they don't keep ending up on top of each other in the centre.
I kind of take the opposite view with Ramsey: I think we absolutely should be enabling his gung-ho approach... just not in an area of the side that is discipline-critical (i.e. as one half of a two-man base in midfield). I A lot of my problems with him stem from how I view him as a player: as one half of a CM pairing (as we so often play) he's a liability, as he constantly disappears up front, leaving his partner exposed; but viewed as an attacker who frequently drops back as a bonus man in midfield... I think that could be an asset? Finding a way to effectively utilise that marauding style of his is what marks him out as something a bit different (and potentially special) in my eyes, and is the only thing that makes him worth all the effort we're putting in to trying to keep him - if what we're looking for is a more disciplined CM to play at the base of midfield, who can win the ball back and distribute it well, then I kind of feel that we have several better options for that already in AMN, Guendouzi and maybe even Elneny (all of whom would require less coaching for the role, and would cost considerably less in wages). I'd rather just cash in on Ramsey now and reinvest in other areas than spend a lot of time trying to mould him into that kind of midfielder.
You're point about Xhaka I totally agree with - for me, Guendouzi already looks like he'd give us that long-range distribution from the back, with a lot of extras besides, so if it were up to me then I'd be very tempted to chuck him in straightaway alongside Torreira (or AMN, although I haven't quite decided what kind of midfielder I think he is yet). However, what I'd like to see happen and what I think the club will do are two completely different things, and unfortunately I just don't see Xhaka, Ramsey (if he stays) or Özil being dropped - at least not to start with), anyway. Pragmatism is likely to be our best option to begin with: if we're going to be starting the season with these players, then we need to find a way to make them work together, and that's probably going to mean fitting all the supporting players in too. As I said, hopefully the buck stops with a DM (Torreira), where the supporting cast is concerned.
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