FC Twente v ArsenalWHEN AARON Ramsey signed for Arsenal in a €6.5 million deal from Cardiff City this summer, he envisaged that one day he would play a part for the club in vital Champions League ties. "Arsenal are a club that always gives young players the opportunity at the highest level," he said, when asked what had made him favour the Emirates over other potential destinations.
In his most outlandish fantasies, however, the 17-year-old could not have pictured himself making his competitive debut for the club in a European fixture that Arsene Wenger described yesterday as the "biggest game of the season".
Arsenal play Steve McClaren's FC Twente at the Gelredome in Arnhem tonight in the first leg of the final qualifying round of the Champions League, and everyone associated with the London club is aware of the implications of failure.
In financial terms, the price of missing out on the group phase of the competition is €25 million; in sporting terms, it is almost impossible to quantify. Wenger has dreamed for years of lifting the most prestigious trophy in club football.
"The biggest game of the season, certainly, is the qualifier for the Champions League," said Wenger, who has seen his team come through the fixture in the previous two seasons, against Dinamo Zagreb and Sparta Prague.
"If you lose a Premier League game, you can still get back; lose a Champions League qualifier and it's a big deal. Our two main targets are the Premier League and the Champions League. The Champions League can only be a target if we qualify."
Ramsey's presence in a youthful Arsenal line-up - Wenger included six teenagers in the 18-man party that left Luton airport yesterday - appears to represent the ultimate in fiery baptisms. With only 14 professional starts in club football to his name, Ramsey gets his chance in central midfield alongside Denilson because of what amounts to a selection crisis in the position.
Wenger is without Cesc Fabregas, Abou Diaby and Amaury Bischoff because of injury and Alex Song because of his presence at the Olympic Games, while his options are further constricted by the injuries to the wide midfielders Tomas Rosicky and Samir Nasri.
Wenger would not consider picking Ramsey, who has already made his full international debut for Wales, if he did not believe he were capable of coping with the pressure. Yet there did appear a certain reticence from the manager, if only to ensure the expectation levels surrounding the player did not rise too sharply. Wenger has perhaps learned from the case of Theo Walcott, another player who joined the club for big money as a 17-year-old.
"Ideally, we would have loved Fabregas to play," said Wenger, who admitted he had pushed the Spaniard too hard following his late return to pre-season training after Euro 2008. "It's a lot of responsibility (on Ramsey) because money is an issue. But it's not just money, it's our sporting target as well. We want to be in the Champions League. It's a big game for us."
Although Ramsey played on the right of midfield, on occasion, at Cardiff, Wenger sees him becoming a thrusting force in the middle. Patience must be the watchword in the next stage of his career development, but Wenger is not blessed with that here in the Netherlands.
"I believe he has the ingredients to become a good player," said Wenger. "He has confidence and is a hard worker. He has a fantastic engine, he has a good build and he has a reasonable technique, although I think he has to improve on that.
"He has a lot to learn. He has to improve the defensive aspect of his game, the positioning on the pitch. I don't think he has the tricks to play wide. I have never played him wide. I don't think I will because it doesn't look to me that he has the dribbling skills."
McClaren only took charge of FC Twente at the end of June and despite the sales of the key midfielders Orlando Engelaar and Karim El Ahmadi, and the suspension of the leading goalscorer Blaise N'Kufo, Wenger anticipates a similar tactical approach to that which Twente showed last season.
"Looking at the way my players behave, I don't think there is any danger (of complacency)," Wenger added. "If you go to Holland, you have a big game."
Guardian Service
