Aaron Ramsey scouted: Rangers' transfer arrival is custom-made No.8 poster boy

Having made his name at Arsenal where he scored 61 goals in 258 games, Ramsey moved to Italy in the summer of 2019 after falling out of favour with then-manager Unai Emery. His spell was a success during the first two seasons spent in Serie A, with 35 and 30 appearances accumulated in 2019/20 and 2020/21 and major trophies won, but Max Allegri's return has restricted the player's involvement this term provoking a January move.

He reportedly signed a contract worth £400,000 a week in 2019, admittedly inflated because he was signed on a free after his contract expired in London. 

While question marks may surface over his injury record, securing a player of this quality is a statement of intent towards the end of the transfer window. Given the player’s pedigree and achievements, it makes more sense to focus on his suitability than technical ability.

The need for a No.8

The structure of Rangers’ midfield has changed since Giovanni van Bronckhorst arrived at the club in November. Under Steven Gerrard the midfield three held plenty of defensive responsibility and although Joe Aribo added attacking variation from the unit, his form since November shows the No.8 position has evolved under the new regime.

Van Bronckhorst has introduced a more traditional 4-3-3; width comes from touchline-hugging wingers and two No.8s are expected to make attacking runs into the half-spaces and beyond the opposition defence. Aribo’s stunning goal against Hearts and Scott Arfield’s lobbed finish against Livingston are good examples of the attacking freedom granted.

When Rangers have possession the advanced midfielders are instructed to stay high rather than drop deep to progress possession. The passing network from Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Ross County sees either No.8 covering the half-spaces and stationed in the opposition half.

Compared to the pass network from a trip to Dingwall under Gerrard earlier in the season, the two No.8s are part of the front five attacking players, whereas previously the full-backs often played more advanced than the entire midfield trio.

What type of player is Ramsey?

This question forms the backdrop of Ramsey’s arrival. After introducing a system that accommodates attack-minded midfielders who thrive on third-man runs and final third involvement, the league leaders have signed a player who has built his career using such attributes.

"He is a player who is great going forward. His main quality is he can keep the final ball and he makes interesting runs from deep,” Arsene Wenger, Ramsey’s manager for a decade at Arsenal, said of the midfielder upon the completion of his move to Turin.

"You don't find many players today who can make midfield runs off the ball. It will be an interesting addition for Juventus."

Maurizio Sarri was the manager of the Turin giants when Ramsey arrived at the club in 2019. Speaking after the Welsh international scored against Inter Milan, he said: "He [Ramsey] maintains that he needs to see more of the pitch in front of him, or he gets a little lost.

"He is doing well in this role, although in fairness he's also in much better physical condition now than he was when playing as a trequartista.”

Insight from two former coaches help to describe the player’s unique style. Trequartista, which translates from Italian ‘three questers’, describes a player who plays in front of the midfield and acts as the team’s controller, nominally the No.10. It’s revealing that Sarri felt the need to reaffirm Ramsey was not comfortable fulfilling that role and instead prefers to see the pitch rather than operate with his back to goal.

His final strike for Arsenal at the tail end of 2018/19 combines the compliments of Wenger and Sarri.

With a No.10 (Mesut Ozil) ahead of him, Ramsey is not the ‘controller’ of this particular transition, he can instead “see the pitch” and plays a one-two with Ozil who orchestrates an avenue forwards.

The phase of the game in which Ramsey comes alive is when making this type of movement from deep. His runs are difficult to track and he escapes the attention of markers who are concerned with following the path of the ball, in the below example he can enter the penalty box unopposed to finish.

In moments of transition, there is disorganization amongst the defensive unit while they attempt to strike the balance between combatting with immediate threats and retaining some sort of structure, Ramsey thrives in such scenarios as central gaps open up.

The below strike against Spal again features the midfielder benefit from arriving into the attacking phase and eventually, he receives a pass from Juventus No.10 Pablo Dybala having been entirely untracked running from his own half. It’s not until Dybala is set to find Ramsey’s run that an opposition midfielder clocks the movement.

Intelligent in counterattacking moments and a real threat when running beyond, it’s important to discuss how Ramsey operates in condensed spaces. Aribo and Arfield’s aforementioned goals last year show that there will be the opportunity to burst into central pockets, however, Rangers players must often create their own space before fashioning chances. 

In Wales’ 2-0 win over Turkey at EURO 2020, Ramsey scored a crucial opener having missed a similar chance moments prior. Both moves saw Gareth Bale find the goal scorer’s run who exposed open avenues in the opposing defence.

Early in the game, the decoy run of Kieffer Moore triggers Ramsey to dovetail the forward’s movement, making one of the “interesting” runs Wenger referenced.

A similar move later in the half broke the deadlock. Bale cuts inside the pitch and Moore’s movement trigger the Wales’ No.10 to run beyond as the defence becomes attracted towards the ball, this time finishing off the chance.

Movement off the shoulder of the opposing midfield is a valuable tool when attempting to break down defences. With defending midfielders facing play, they’re at a disadvantage if they try to follow runs beyond the defence while the backline is normally concerned with tracking the actions of forwards, as seen above.

When such space is not forthcoming, the new signing is happy to link play close to the goal and has a habit of finding space in tight areas. The chances passed up in the Ross County penalty box last weekend would have likely proved easy pickings.

Take this example in a fixture against Leece, as Douglas Costa reverses the ball into his path Ramsey turns first time to test the keeper.

During 2020/21 in Serie A he averaged 4.43 touches in the opposition penalty box per 90. The season prior that number stood at 4.48. An active participant in all phases of attacking play the new arrival could prove as useful in tight spaces as open spaces.

The perfect fit?

Ross Wilson and van Bronckhorst will hope that, like Amad, Ramsey can adapt quickly to his surroundings and provide instant results. Operating in a system that should get the best of his assets as explained above, if he can remain injury-free then the arrival's impact should be significant. The Ibrox side have lost key ground in the title race this month, but they can confidently say that the squad is stronger than it entered the January market. 

Rangers needed quality at No.8 and they've signed a player renowned in world football for his qualities. This is a signing that raises the bar.