Chris Coleman shows Arsene Wenger and Arsenal how to get the best out of Aaron Ramsey

1/4
Andrew Gwilym1 July 2016

There has been something of a theme developing among Arsenal fans on social media: how does Aaron Ramsey play like that for Wales?

Gunners fans have not seen too many extended periods where the 25-year-old has been at the peak of his powers.

His best spell came in the first half of the 2013-14 season, during which he was the Premier League’s outstanding midfielder, before a thigh injury ruled him out for three-and-half months.

Upon his return, Ramsey picked up where he left off before that purple patch — fitful form undermined by nagging fitness issues.

Yet this summer he has seized the biggest opportunity of his career with performances worthy of the speculation that Barcelona continue to monitor his progress. Ramsey has been outstanding and he will be a pivotal figure when Wales go in search of a place in the semi-finals against Belgium tonight.

For Arsenal fans it is easy to question how a player can be so important for his country, when his club do not consistently see the best of him. It is the wrong question. Rather than question the player, question the environments he operates in. One of the reasons Ramsey has shone for Wales is the way Chris Coleman has used him. At Arsenal, Ramsey plays in a deeper role than for Wales. He is, first and foremost, a gifted attacking player. Coleman eased his defensive responsibilities, deployed him as a second No10 alongside Gareth Bale and told the pair of them to strut their stuff.

Ramsey is encouraged to try things. There are no howls of derision from the stands. If it doesn’t come off, don’t worry, try again. At Arsenal, he is not afforded the same freedom of expression, having been one of the scapegoats when the team underperform.

Euro 2016 Football Fanatics - In pictures

1/46

He and Bale are clearly the star names in Wales’ squad. Rather than discourage that view, Coleman embraces it. He lets Ramsey know how big a role he has to play, how much his team-mates look to him for inspiration.

At Arsenal, among a dressing-room filled with big names, that is not the case. And as a team they continue to face the accusation they lack leaders.

As a result, he has come to be viewed by his critics as a weak character. Not a man for the trenches.

Pause for a second to consider the trauma Ramsey went through at such a young age and then reassess. Battling back from the horrific broken leg at Stoke in 2010 was tough enough, but that pales when compared to the impact the death of Gary Speed had on him.

Speed, desperate to revive a stale national set-up, made Ramsey his captain at the age of 20. Speed had been an idol to Ramsey as he came through the ranks, and a strong bond developed.

That was all ended in November 2011 with Speed’s tragic death. For a young captain it was a tremendous weight to shoulder. His form suffered, he and many others in the squad looked lost. A 6-1 hammering in Serbia spelt the end of his captaincy.

But Coleman made clear it was no slight against him, he wanted Ramsey to be able to play his best and remain an integral part of his plans. It has paid rich dividends, right now he would be as big a loss as Bale were he to get injured.

The talent is clear to see and Coleman has helped extract it to maximum effect this summer. How Arsenal fans would wish to see Arsene Wenger do the same when Ramsey returns to Arsenal colours come August.

Interactive 'wallchart': All the fixtures at your fingertips

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in