The Gunners season didn’t start well, losing 4-3 to Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium. Things have gone from bad to worse now, as key midfielder Aaron Ramsey has been ruled out of action for a month.
Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey was brilliant for the national team in the European Championship, and is set to play an important role for Arsenal this coming season. He missed out on the Euro 2016 semi-final between Wales and Portugal due to suspension. This absence caused manager Arsene Wenger to risk playing him in the season opener against Liverpool, even as he rested other Euro 2016 stars like Laurent Koscielny, Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud.
The risk has proven far too costly though, with Ramsey suffering a hamstring injury and being substituted for Santi Cazorla close to the hour mark. The 25-year-old Welshman has now been ruled out for a month because of the injury, according to the Daily Mail.
Arsenal will face the likes of reigning champions Leicester City, Watford, Southampton and Hull City in the Premier League during that period, as well as having to negotiate the opening match of their UEFA Champions League campaign. Ramsey was expected to feature in most, if not all, of these fixtures.
The season has started off on a sour note for Arsenal. First, their first choice center-back and new captain Per Mertesacker had to pull out of pre-season, and it was later revealed he would be out for 5 months. Then his back-up Gabriel Paulista was injured in the friendly against Man City, and ruled out of action for six to eight weeks.
The curtain raiser to the new season brought no relief, as Liverpool ran amok at the Emirates Stadium. The Reds were leading 4-1 at one point, before the Gunners managed to peg two goals back.
The latest injury news has brought no respite, and Gooners will be hoping that the club can recover in the face of this crisis. Wenger has ample replacements for Ramsey, with the likes of Mohamed Elneny, Granit Xhaka, Santi Cazorla, Francis Coquelin, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all fit. However, the Wales midfielder was in spectacular form in the Euros, and could have made a difference to the opening month of the Gunners season as well.
