Last week against QPR in the FA Cup 4th round, Ramires was injured and there was a collective nervousness amongst Chelsea fans, taken off on a stretcher and it looked serious. After the match Villas Boas said that the injury could have been a lot worse and shortly after it was revealed that he was out for four weeks. Ramires, many would argue, has been Chelsea’s best midfielder and it was all too evident against Swansea that he was missed. His runs have been a highlight in a rather lacklustre midfield this season, although Romeu is a protector, neither Meireles or Lampard have overly impressed and Michael Essien has just come back from injury. Looking at his statistics, it is clear to see that Ramires is an essential part of the Chelsea midfield.
As we can see, in terms of attacking he is key in terms of goalscoring and making assists, from midfield he’s scored 4 goals, Didier Drogba and Torres have scored 5 combined and he has also created a goal. As well as this his passing, although been under scrutiny stands at an impressive 86% in open play. These assists and goals also don’t take in to account the runs that he makes, a drive from midfield which is so evidently missing when he is absent. Meireles is a different type of midfielder and Lampard is no longer able to make such runs.
In conclusion, Ramires will be sorely missed, not only in terms of his potential goals and assists but also the runs and energy that he provides from midfield. However, this is not to say that his game is perfect, his crossing at 8% is poor and his shooting accuracy needs to improve, if he can improve both aspects of his game then he will become one of the best box to box midfielders in the Premier League. He’s Chelsea’s best midfielder this season and with Manchester United in the Premier League and Napoli in the Champions League, the timing of his injury couldn’t have been more untimely.
