Jacob Ramsey has long spoken about his desire to improve his numbers, and under Unai Emery, the Aston Villa youngster is starting to unlock his potential.
We’ve known and been excited about the 21-year-old’s talent for some time, but after registering just one goal and one assist in 13 Premier League games prior to Emery’s arrival, we were still waiting for things to click into place for him to produce consistently and become a leading figure in the side.
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His work-rate, commitment and energy are all fundamental strengths that are pivotal in our collective performance, but for a player who is desperate to have more goal involvements, Ramsey himself often sounded frustrated that he wasn’t contributing more in the final third given the quality he possesses.
After initially scoring and providing an assist in Emery’s first game in charge against Man Utd last November, Ramsey again went quiet off the back of a hamstring injury, and a run of eight league outings without a goal or assist would have seen that same frustration building again.
However, the talented youngster has been in superb form over the past five league games, scoring two and providing three assists as he now appears to be thriving in Emery’s system and understanding the tactical demands being made of him.
Ramsey was a constant menace for Newcastle Utd on Saturday with his ability to receive the ball, turn and attack spaces between the lines to then set the likes of Ollie Watkins free to create goalscoring opportunities.
He finished the 3-0 win with 96% passing accuracy (25/26), 47 touches, four chances created, three successful dribbles, two tackles won, one aerial duel won, one interception, one assist and one goal.
His influence is undoubtedly growing in both phases of the game, and if he can maintain this consistency, he will continue to unlock his full potential and further establish himself as a fundamental figure in this Villa side under Emery.
Former Villa goalkeeping coach Neil Cutler noted in an interview on Ben Foster’s podcast a few months ago that Ramsey needed stability and consistency in his role to really reach his best level, and he had no doubt in his mind whatsoever that the Villa midfielder would go on to do big things for us once that happened.
Emery appears to have found that perfect role for him on the left side of our midfield where he can break forward and provide a real threat with his ability to run with pace and intent on the ball, while also now showcasing his technical ability and vision by setting up his teammates for goalscoring chances.
Villa have an exciting challenge ahead in the coming weeks as we look to secure European qualification, and if Ramsey, Ollie Watkins, John McGinn and so many others can continue their current form, we’ll fancy our chances of causing a real shock by the end of the campaign.
