Ramsey can flourish at Forest + Fabregas is hamstrung
19 comments November 26th, 2010
Yesterday saw the loan deadline for the Football League come and go, with the undoubted headline being Aaron Ramsey’s move to Nottingham Forest until January 3rd. Personally, I think it’s a move that makes plenty of sense. Ramsey will get a few games in a very competetive league, and his return at the start of January will be, to quote the familiar phrase, “like a new signing”.
The talk on twitter yesterday was of concern for Ramsey’s health amid the hurly-burly of the Championship. I understand wanting to err on the side of caution, but I would say this: the ‘softly softly’ approach didn’t exactly help Eduardo or Diaby. Both of these players were reintroduced gently, and both suffered from all sorts of complications. Perhaps the benefit of regular football will provide an effective alternative. I’m not a physio; I have no scientific basis for these assertions. I’d merely say that it’s worth a go. You can be sure that if Arsene isn’t happy with the way Ramsey is being used, he’ll be recalled immediately.
Ramsey is eligible for a maximum of eight Championship games. If he can clock up a few starts towards the end of that spell, he’ll be returning to us in good shape. Best of luck Aaron – and do look after yourself.
Henri Lansbury has also gone out on loan, joining Norwich. If further proof were needed of our determination to take the Carling Cup seriously, it’s there in the fact that we’ve let these youngsters go, and will now be forced to use the senior playing staff.
Aside from Ramsey’s move, the other surprise yesterday was that Jay Emmanuel-Thomas remained with the squad. Arsene had suggested he’s be on the move, saying:
“Jay Emmanuel-Thomas will go out because he needs to play.”
Lots of different clubs were linked with the powerful man, so perhaps the decision to stay with the squad was one the confident Emmanuel-Thomas took himself. Either that, or we’ve suffered an injury to a front-man that Arsene hasn’t yet announced. Probably that, eh.
Speaking of injuries, Cesc Fabregas is expected to miss two weeks with his hamstring problem. It’s clearly something that is causing some long-term concern at the club. Arsene says:
“We have analysed his body and it is not fatigued and he is not tired.
He is a guy who just has a little bit of a hamstring problem but where does it come from? Does it come from his back, from the fact that he is naturally not flexible?
We are investigating as much as we can. The problem [is] before when you were injured you waited at home and when you could play again you played again – today you can have ten scientists around you but you still get injured.”
The fact Arsene is discussing the injury problems in similar terms to those suffered by Michael Owen and Ryan Giggs tells you that this is not your average niggle.
Again, I’m not a physio, but it seems to me that rushing Cesc back over the next couple of weeks wouldn’t be helpful at all. I’d rather give him a month off and bring him back refreshed and reinvigorated. That said, a rest won’t stop his hamstring from pinging again if, as Arsene suggests, the problem is deeper-rooted than merely fatigue.
Come January, a fit Aaron Ramsey could certainly help lighten the load on Cesc.
