The Current Mr.Arsenal?
Football has definitely developed over several years but unfortunately, several fans seemed to have regressed. You just cannot have a decent conversation about football without having an illogically ridiculous opinionated statement made that really lights the fiery core within oneself.
I've been hit with several such statements! But more recently an Arsenal fan said "Ramsey, Xhaka and Mustafi should be sold, they are useless and barely contribute to the team. They have a few good games throughout the season and manage to maintain a place in the starting XI more often than not. Ramsey can't compare with Wilshere and well now that Wilshere is back we have no use of the Welshmen"
Although I believe that Mustafi is a great player and Xhaka is slowly proving his worth (even though he may not be the answer to Arsenal's underlying problems), the Ramsey vs Wilshere topic got me interested.
Who really deserves to be in the first team and who is disposable?
We have Jack Wilshere, a man who lives and breathes Arsenal. Produced by our youth academy and the only midfielder I've seen absolutely own the pitch against Barcelona's prime midfield trio. (Xavi, Iniesta, and Busquets). Arguably England's best midfielder over the past few years who has unfortunately struggled with several injuries throughout his career.
Coming back from a long injury, he was sent on loan to Bournemouth last year to prove his worth and he definitely did. Watching him play was reminiscent of the Jack I knew 6 years ago. His ability on the ball was brilliant, he would drive against the defense and would dribble past players with ease. His vision was fantastic, some of his through balls whether grounded or over the top just showed his fantastic eye for runs. His dummies and intricate passing skills were fantastic and I just couldn't wait for him to be back at Arsenal. The defensive side of his game had improved greatly too, he would win the ball back on several occasions and was always quick to retreat when possession was lost. He did get injured again towards the end of the season 😑 but had done more than enough to earn his call back.
He did come back and he has been brilliant ever since! He was eased into the starting lineup by Arsene Wenger by playing matches in the Carabao Cup and Europa League group stage matches. He just showed he was a class apart from Arsenal's second team and well, sure enough, he was brought into the first team. He hasn't looked back since, starting in every game he has been fit in, avoided any major injuries thus far and has backed himself with good performances too. His drive and passion for the club just shows how much that badge means to him as he's always giving his 100% on the pitch something that the fans want to see and expect from all the players.
On his day, Wilshere is really mesmerizing on the ball and I'm happy to see him back in contention for the Arsenal and England starting XI.
Then we have the Aaron Ramsey, the man responsible for ending Arsenal's decade-long run without a trophy along with their most recent F.A. Cup triumph against Chelsea. A man who has put in some killer performances ( no pun intended) over the past several seasons and has really become a significant part of the Arsenal first team. Another player who has been hurt by injuries, sidelining him for several crucial moments during his career.
Ramsey is a box-to-box midfielder that plays a crucial part in every Arsenal attack. His positioning, off the ball runs and general movement throughout the game is terrific. His vision is fantastic as well and some of his passes really are jaw-dropping. With a great eye for goal, he can become really dangerous in the box too. His free roam role along with his superb ability on the ball allows him great freedom making him even harder to mark and a constant threat to the opposition.
His performances and value to the team go under the radar several times to which I really am surprised. It's when Ramsey doesn't play that you see the staleness in the team when no one makes those runs in behind the defense and opens up the opposition with their movement. That kind of instinctive intelligence is irreplaceable. Some players just have a certain skill set that you cannot replace no matter how hard you try to paper the cracks.
Ramsey is absolute quality and a consistent performer. Just like Arsenal need Ozil because they just could not replace the ability of the player, the very same applies for Aaron Ramsey. He is really is a game changer!
Conclusion:-
Both players, for one, are criminally underrated, I believe Ramsey more so than Wilshere.
To say that one deserves the axe over another really doesn't make any sense because although they may have similar positions they have completely separate roles to offer in this Arsenal side. Instead of picking one over the other, I believe both players should play alongside each other reinforced with a proper defensive midfielder. Then we will see the best out of both these players.
Wilshere is probably closer than the two for the position of "Mr.Arsenal" but still hasn't done quite enough to earn it. Just like he may not have done enough to earn a massive may rise but certainly doesn't deserve a pay cut either. The fact that despite being told he can leave for the betterment of his career, he stayed and continues to be committed to the club shows where his ambitions lie.
Personally, I believe the topic in itself is quite pointless, for fans to even ponder over replacements is out of the question. Some players just cannot be replaced!
Wilshere and Ramsey have not accepted their contract renewals as they are holding out for a higher pay rise. Why not? I believe they deserve it and for Arsenal to undervalue them is beyond stupidity. I'm sure whatever has been demanded is reasonable, so pay them what they want because you'll have a strenuous time and funds looking for replacements who come close to that ability.