Chelsea FC’s Most Disappointing Players Part 1: Ramires
With the season done and dusted, and the post-season done and dusted too, it’s time to take a step back and reflect upon Chelsea FC’s 2014/15 campaign.
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While the last nine months or so have been undeniably successful for the West London club, there is always room to improve and similarly always certain individuals that have disappointed. In this series of articles, the staff here at The Pride Of London have sharpened their knives and collectively decided which players have frustrated the most.
First up, the Brazilian Ramires.
The 28 year old midfielder has been at the Blues for the last five seasons, having moved to Stamford Bridge from Benfica for €22 million in August 2010. Ramires would go on to feature regularly in his first campaign, appearing 41 times under the stewardship of Carlo Ancelotti. However, the Blues failed to win a single trophy on the back of their double-wining campaign the year previous and Ancelotti was sacked.
His second year with Chelsea was much more fruitful, as an Andre Villas-Boas/Roberto Di Matteo combination guided them to a FA Cup and Champions League double (although Ramires was suspended for the final of the latter). The next campaign, meanwhile, saw him make 62 appearances (a single season record for him) as the Blues continued to bring home silverware, albeit only the Europa League.
Jose Mourinho then returned to the club in the summer of 2013 and with him, Ramires’s appearances started to diminish. He played 46 times in Mourinho’s first season back, before dropping to a total of 28 this time around. The reasons for this drop in playing time are why our writers have voted him as one of the most disappointing Chelsea players in this campaign so let’s have a look at what they said.
Brendan: ‘My LVP for Chelsea this season was Ramires. At 28, he should be at the peak of his powers and yet, I’m still not sure what he does that makes Chelsea better. He really can’t play on the wing all that well, he certainly isn’t a CM, and at the pivot he’s underwhelming. I guess he gives our good players a well deserved day off, so his versatility is helpful, but should he be more than that.’
If you thought that was scathing, he wasn’t finished yet…
‘Every time I see his name come up in a transfer, I always cross my fingers that we find a buyer.’
Lee: ‘Frustrating! His moments of brilliance are offset by his apparent inability to pass a ball at times. He covers every blade of grass à la Jose style and intelligently blocks and intercepts more than he is given credit for. I feel his best position is in the DM role beside Matic but then where does that leave Fabregas? If we could get a sizeable transfer fee for him I would say thank you for the Champions League but adios amigo.’
Some of the writers, meanwhile, were less severe:
Mike: ‘Choosing Ramires is tough as his job is pretty varied and involves nothing that is spectacular. He has flashes like any good Brazilian does but if he had to make way for something better I’d be fine with it. I even think Willian could take over his hard-working role at some point as the defensive midfield solidifies up behind him.’
David, however, defends him…kind of:
David: ‘Nobody should be surprised by Ramires being bad.’
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Ramires is a bit of an unfortunate case. He has undoubtedly been a loyal servant to the club and has often come up trumps in big games. The issue is that the role he is given is always likely to be unheralded when done well, but still criticised when done badly. This season, unfortunately, has been the latter of the two scenarios.
Additionally, with the likes of Nemanja Matic ruling the midfield in this campaign (and likely for many more to come) it is hard to see Ramires forcing his way back into a regular starting spot. Chelsea brass may weigh up the fact that he is still only 28 years old and has another couple years left on his contract and thus they could potentially cash in for big money on the player.
With younger players such as Kurt Zouma and Ruben Loftus-Cheek (despite Jose’s criticisms) also pushing for senior squad contention, the stars may just be aligning for Ramires’s exit from Stamford Bridge.
Well, we’ve had our say but what do you think? Did Ramires disappoint you this season or are we just being harsh and/or clueless? Sound off in the comments below!
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