After an injury-plagued season last year, there has been both optimism and excitement over the impact of Jacob Ramsey’s return to Unai Emery’s Aston Villa starting line-up this season.
The 23-year-old was limited to just 21 appearances in the last campaign, contributing just one goal and two assists, as we were robbed of seeing him kick on after making a significant mark following Emery’s appointment in October 2022.
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After gradually building his fitness and sharpness over pre-season, Ramsey has featured in every game thus far since the new campaign got underway, and he’s now scored one and provided an assist in those five outings.
Beyond his ability to be decisive in the final third though, it’s his importance through being a key cog in Emery’s system and structure that makes him such a valuable option for the Villa boss, with his positional awareness to find pockets of space in advanced areas to hurt the opposition now well established as a vital component of our play.
Further, he has a brilliant talent of being able to turn out of pressure, break free of an opponent’s defensive structure and help his teammates attack space and create openings.
We’ve seen it time and time again already this season, and it is fundamental in helping us play with rhythm and fluidity to pose a sustained threat, particularly against sides that then sit deeper with numbers and require intelligence and savvy movement to break through them.
Coupled with his work ethic and how much ground he covers in games as well as his tactical astuteness off the ball with his positioning to help maintain our defensive shape and structure, it’s very clear why Emery had no interest in allowing a sale this past summer.
In turn, while it was wonderful in itself to see one of our own represent us in the Champions League and make his debut in the competition in a Villa shirt, the top class performance on top of that was a huge bonus and he’ll be delighted to have opened his account in the competition.
Combined with Morgan Rogers behind Ollie Watkins, our attacking trio are proving to be a menace for our opponents at the moment, and it’s hoped that they can stay healthy and continue to develop this season to give Emery real quality in the final third and long-term solutions in key positions.
That’s balanced by the excellent work of John McGinn, Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana around them, and with the likes of Leon Bailey, Emiliano Buendia and Ross Barkley, we have the quality depth to protect them when needed and ensure that we’re in good shape for what will be a gruelling season if we advance as far as we aim to go.
Naturally, there will be tougher tests ahead, starting with Bayern Munich next month, and so there are levels and gears that Ramsey, and Villa as a collective, must go through to continue to progress and compete at the top. This was a stellar debut in the Champions League though, and having had a taste for it and certainly not looked out of place, it’s hoped there is still so much more to come.
