Is Aaron Ramsey primed to be the talisman for Cymru?

It’s probably a sign of how spoiled Wales fans have been in comparison with the not-too-distant past, but the recent retirements of Joe Allen and Gareth Bale have made things complicated for the national team. Having Bale in the side meant that there was always a chance for Y Dreigau to pull something out of the bag against any opponent. It’s easy to forget that they were one game from the final in Euro 2016, because so much has happened since. But with two of the players who underpinned that amazing run now unavailable, a lot of attention is sure to fall on a third,

Aaron Ramsey has had a nomadic career, made to feel all the more so by the fact that he often missed games while at Arsenal and Juventus, and his half-season on loan at Rangers was complicated not only by his injury but by a domestic form crisis that made it hard for any player to shine. Ramsey has however played more than he has missed for Nice this season, and the Cote d’Azur club are well-placed in the estimation of bookies at casinononaams.casino to take a European spot, so the closing months of this season will give all the more chance for the midfielder to sharpen his game. What does this mean for Cymru?

A short-term existence seems likely

Had Allen, Bale and Ramsey all ended their international careers after the World Cup, it’s hard to imagine the impact it would have had when the squad reconvened for the next fixture, which is in Croatia next month. In truth, Allen has missed a lot of action through injury anyway, but there’s no doubt that players who have played at the very highest level club-wise add something to a team. Had Ramsey joined his compatriots in ending his international career, there’s only Ben Davies who could really claim to be in that bracket - and he’s never been a talisman in the way those others have. But Wales can’t look to Ramsey to be the shining light indefinitely; he’s not going to be around much longer.

Club form is encouraging, but will it impact his Wales role?

It’s too easy to talk or write about Ramsey as though he were some newborn foal, as though the slightest blow might result in him being consigned to the treatment table for the foreseeable future. For sure, he missed games at Rangers, as at Juventus and Arsenal before. But he also came through ninety minutes pretty regularly, and has done the same at Nice while maintaining some of his best form in years. One upside of his tendency to miss games here and there before, though, was that he always seemed fresh and ready when the red shirt went on. Will he still have that energy in Split next month? We’ll have to wait and see.

His value lies in more than his technical qualities

The day was always going to come when the extravagantly gifted senior players in the Welsh squad moved on, because linear time does that. Having Ramsey around could be vital for Wales not so much for his ability to burst into the box at the right time, but for his ability to inspire others around him. The younger players such as Matty James, Ethan Ampadu and Harry Wilson will need to sink or swim at the highest level soon, and knowing that there is someone next to them who has delivered at the sharp end of the game could be invaluable to them in the next twelve months.

 

[ Main photo embedded from FAW Cymru ]