I'm not too worried about our midfield but if players like those get injured it will affect us no matter who is sitting on the bench.Originally Posted by fakeyank
We have a few key players and long term injuries to those would hurt us but I'd say that's true of most sides.
You said yourself you don't think our squad is that much weaker than City's.
Remind yourself of what Ramsey was like with us after 4 seasons and when he was 21 years old. Can you remember how bad he was when returning from his long lay off? In the last two seasons, Ox has had heavy injuries and missed long chunks of the season. Relax a little.. He has had a full season playing for us yet.
I think our squad when fit is as good as theirs but our injuries all seem to stretch out till New Years. Barring Ramsey who seems to be out for '3 weeks', the rest of them dont seem like they are back till later. So far, we have not had major injury to any of our major players but that could change and I am hoping it stays that way!!
Arsene Wenger, the only football manager that got paid 8 million quid to do nothing but sit on his arse..
His development has stalled but I still like him & believe in him. There is a quality player in there, he just needs to simplify his game & stop trying too hard.
If we can get him to perform at a "Ramsey" type level now then that's good enough for me. I think long term OX has a really high ceiling and has the potential to be a star for us, we've seen glimpses of what he is capable of already.
I did. I wrote earlier posts talking about Ramsey at 21.
He is ahead of what Chamberlain is right now and he was a year younger. (I was also wrong, Chamberlain is in year 5, not 4)
And dont tell me to relax. I am relaxed. I just dont see enough from Chamberlain to say he is going to be something special. I felt this way before this season too. I dont like players that don't look up when on the ball, like Chamberlain does.
Hope im wrong and he changes, but Im not convinced.
the thing is Ramsey was doing the basics right. He stayed in the team set up and hustled. He was also finding himself in goal scoring situations.
Chamberlain just doesnt show that.
Ramsey stank up the joint for a season and a half before he really started to emerge. He was horrible, misplacing basic passes, trying stupid flicks, Wenger basically played him throughout this period probably due to knowing that he was a talent that would eventually get it right. Admittedly we weren't challenging for the title then so our expectations were lower but Ramsey wasn't getting the basics right, at one point he was getting booed quite regularly. The thing with OX is he is in a run of bad form, he was pretty decent last season & was more or less first choice. I agree that he has a lot of room for improvement & he will need to improve fast because he will not get on the bench in his current form once the likes of Ramsey, Welbeck, Wilshere & to a lesser degree Rosicky return.
I know Ramsey was getting booed but the booing was more for fans being idiots than Ramsey being as poor as you are describing him. Like I said a few times, Ramsey never lost his tactical understanding and stayed within the confines of the team. He also wouldnt drop his head but instead sought to win hte ball back after the flicks. The fans just turned on him because Arsenal fans tend to do that to non-English players who are trying to find form.
Ox has been this way for a few seasons now, not just this start. The issue I am having is that he isnt actually getting better. He looks the same player whereas Ramsey had something catastrophic happen to him on the pitch.
We all agree that he needs to step it up now with Ramsey out and with all the injuries in the midfield.
I think Ox is leagues ahead of Ramsey and is a better player. When fit and getting a run of games, he is one of the most exciting players in an Arsenal shirt. At this moment he is trying too hard to get a place in the team.. the moment he relaxes and lets his talent do the talking, he will be an easy starter.
Arsene Wenger, the only football manager that got paid 8 million quid to do nothing but sit on his arse..
Ramsey was struggling and was given game after game by Wenger to correct it. The same can't be said for Ox. He's been in and out this season and his last two seasons have been interrupted by big injuries.
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