The prodigious talents Aaron Ramsey displayed as a teenager, showcased with decreasing frequency since the Ryan Shawcross tackle that broke his leg in 2010, have re-emerged in spectacular fashion recently and thrust Arsenal to the top of the Premiership pile. This is a joyful situation but the pertinent question is why has it taken so long and what is behind the resurgence?

His recent performances have generated the same excitement and expectancy levels as his signature did in 2008, when he was widely regarded as the best British talent to emerge in over a decade. His return to prominence has been heralded by fans, team mates and the press, and in the age of double pivots, quarterbacks and number 10’s, Ramsey is a welcome throwback to the box-to-box player with the ability to excel in every aspect of midfield play.

Arsenal’s gifted Welshman is the form player in the EPL and perhaps the whole of Europe at the moment, contributing goals and assists, while rapidly accumulating individual plaudits and accolades. Ramsey, is now one of the first names on Arsene Wengers teamsheet and is an integral component of one of the strongest midfields in the country.

For a prolonged period, his dormant potential seemed destined never to reach fulfilment. A combination of injury and inconsistency conspired to blunt his effectiveness and minimise his influence on games, to the extent that a significant section of fans queried his right to remain at the club in the long term.

The explanations for his descent into mediocrity between 2011-2013 are multi layered, though the double fracture of his tibia and fibula was undoubtedly the catalyst. Similarly, his return to form is underpinned by a number of contributory factors, some more obvious than others.

There are five key components to his extraordinary resurgence.

The Unstinting Support of Arsene Wenger

It’s a known fact that Ramsey signed for Arsenal because of Arsene Wenger. He was coveted by every major club in the land when he was at Cardiff City and Manchester United even courted him with a guided tour of Old Trafford and their Carrington training complex. However, when the Frenchman flew him and his parents to Switzerland to discuss his sporting development in detail, Ramsey felt compelled to sign for him. In an interview in January 2010, shortly before his devastating injury, he had this to say:

“What the boss believes in is picking out talented young players and turning them into great players, so hopefully I can be in that category”

In the aftermath of the leg break, Wenger protected Ramsey throughout the period of his convalescence and beyond, demonstrating a patience that simply does not exist in managers with a more narrow outlook on the beautiful game.

“He is gaining his touch again. The speed of movement of his feet has come back but let me tell you, this will take a long time” – Wenger in Oct 2011

Consider for a moment the intense scrutiny and pressure the manager was subjected to around this time, in respect of his failure to accumulate more trophies. And yet he remained steadfast in his defence of a youngster, who at the time was of limited utility to the club. This person centred approach, often considered obsolete in modern football management, sets Arsene Wenger apart. The rewards will be considerable as Ramsey himself acknowledges:

“I never feared that I wouldn’t return. I had a lot of support from friends and family and had the trust the manager placed in me”

The security of a contract with Arsenal until 2017, sanctioned by the manager, will provide Ramsey with a stable base to develop and improve, it must be remembered he is only 22 years old. Whatever he goes on to achieve, a large percentage of the credit belongs to Arsene Wenger.

Mental Fortitude, Humility & Quiet Determination

Most journalists who have spoken to Ramsey remark on the steely determination he appears to possess, rarely overt, but always discernible. As a rule of thumb, footballers with the most to say are generally the quickest to fade from the limelight, fortunately Ramsey is the polar opposite. There should be no mistaking his quiet disposition for timidity however, as some of his comments below illustrate:

I haven’t come here to make up the numbers, I’ve come here to earn the right to play in the first team” - shortly after signing for Arsenal in 2009

“I don’t really look up to anybody and say, that’s who I want to be like. I want to be my own player”

“I’m not one that is the life and soul of the party, but I do speak up when I have something to say” – on being named captain of Wales aged only twenty.

Clearly, he has had to overcome significant physical and psychological barriers after his leg break. That this has taken more time than Arsenal fans wished is plain unfortunate. To go through the trauma of having your foot half detached from the leg, dangling in mid-air, requiring oxygen and nine months of rehab, would be a life defining issue for most nineteen year olds. The 2013 version of Ramsey appears to have finally made it through to the other side:

“A year ago he was hesitant sometimes and perhaps the crowd was impatient with him. Aaron showed incredible mental strength. He has also gained a lot of physical power in the last year, no longer struggling in challenges, but brushing opponents off.” – Wenger, Sept ‘13

Ramsey, bilingual in Welsh and English, has an abundance of academic qualifications despite his sporting commitments from a young age. He is as far removed as it is possible to be from the negative stereotypes associated with young Premiership footballers, and comes across as a young man with a wider sense of the world beyond the boundaries of the game. Upon his transfer from Cardiff, he drove into the Arsenal training ground in his lime green Ford Fiesta, eager to make his mark.

Given his background – his mother played hockey for Wales and his brother also represented his country with the oval ball - there is next to no chance of Ramsey losing his professional discipline way. His ex teacher, Rhys Thomas recalls “a very normal, popular boy among his peers, there was no element of him being pompous or big headed”

His compatriot Ryan Giggs had this to say shortly after Ramsey’s arrival in North London:

“He has his feet on the ground. When he got into the Welsh team he hasn’t thought he has made it. He is a special and talented player and he will be developing his game for the next 10-15 years. Aaron is under a great manager in Arsene Wenger and Arsenal play football the right way.”

His strength of character has seen him through the most difficult period of his fledgling career and will doubtless stand him in good stead for the future.

Positional Consistency

Ramsey is well known for his ability to cover vast swathes of ground during a match, which is perhaps the reason Wenger has utilised him at full back and in both wide midfield positions in the last couple of seasons. As a teenager, rugby league side St Helens expressed an interest in the promising young fly half and further evidence of his natural athleticism came when he was crowned 800m champion for the whole of Wales. Throughout 2012-13 Wenger exploited these attributes and occasionally opted to utilise his strong running on the flanks, but Ramsey’s development as a midfielder requires positional consistency.

“You need to stay in that one position to get consistency. It is difficult when you chop and change like that but I’m happy to do it for the team.”

For the moment he is entrenched in the centre of midfield, where his football intelligence is accentuated and he exerts a greater degree of influence on the team. In the absence of Arteta he has played relatively deep in a 4-2-3-1, but protected by Flamini, his attacking instincts have not been curtailed. Consider this; he has made more successful tackles in the premier league than any other player (22), while scoring freely at the other end.

“He’s taken time and games to get that fluidity back in his play, he’s defending well, positionally he is much better and he’s linking up the play in the final third” – Chris Coleman

The departures of Nasri and Fabregas, special players though they were, may yet be the catalyst for another world class talent to emerge from the Arsenal midfield. With Cazorla, Arterta, Ozil, Wilshere, Flamini and Diaby competing for positions, it appears to be bringing the very best out of Ramsey.

Exceptional Ability

Players with the ability of Ramsey simply do not deteriorate and fade away completely, unless of course they refuse to accept and adhere to the basic tenets of professionalism, none of which applies to the Welshman. Consider this: he is the youngest player ever to play for Cardiff City and the second youngest to play in an FA Cup final. He is the youngest ever Welsh international and the youngest captain in the country’s footballing history. He is the fifth youngest scorer in the Champions League, and at the tender age of twenty two he has represented Arsenal on 160 occasions. Ramsey has the technique, intelligence and athleticism to be nine out of ten in every aspect of his game.

Now he has added composure in front of goal to his list of attributes, the footballing world are witnessing the re-emergence of a genuine global talent.

Confidence

Every interview or feature on Ramsey this season makes reference to his growing confidence, the great intangible quality required to perform at the highest level. In Ramsey’s case his renewed belief is of course, a consequence of the other key factors noted above. The patience and support offered by Wenger has allowed him to recover and develop at his own pace, while his own personal characteristics have enabled him to move on from injury, average performances and a certain level of disenchantment from his own fans. Consecutive matches in his favoured position have allowed him to showcase his strength, balance and awareness and the regularity with which he is finding the net has obviously helped his confidence, perfectly epitomised by the first time volley in the second leg against Fenerbahce.

It is all coming together for Ramsey and few players deserves the recognition he is currently receiving but there is a cautionary tale within. In many respects his story has parallels with the current situation at the club as a whole; bright green shoots of recovery, renewed optimism for the future and an elevated status within the game. The trick for this determined youngster and his proud old club is to ensure the present level of progress continues, and the last few months do not come to be viewed as yet another false dawn.

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