Aaron Ramsey looks 50% Dalglish, 50% Platini
A wonderstrike by Aaron Ramsey rocked England Under-21s at Villa Park last night as Wales held England in a 2-2 thriller.
Overall, England won 5-4 on aggregate to qualify for the next summer's tournament in Sweden.
But Wales are a gifted, high-scoring side. They scored more goals in their group than England before the two teams met in this two-legged play-off
Last week, watching the first leg on Sky, I was thinking : Ramsey reminds me of Kenny Dalglish, Ramsey & Church remind me of Dalglish and Rush. I was also thinking : nobody has ever reminded me of Kenny, who was far better than Hoddle or Bryan Robson. Kenny Dalglish was the finest British footballer of his generation, by a country mile.
Ramsey, the youngest player on the pitch, had a busy night. He conceded a free-kick, for a foul on left winger Adam Johnson, saw Tom Huddlestone score for England from that free-kick, then levelled it with a 20-yard thunderbolt that gave Joe Hart no chance at his near post, and then played a really tasty pass for SimonChurch to make it 2-1 on the night - and 4-4 on aggregate.
Then a Steven Taylor header hit a defender and went in for 2-2. All the goals were in the first half.
Wales dominated for the last 25 after Huddlestone was sent off for a reckless tackle. In the 85th minute, Ramsey hit the post with a left foot shot. A goal would have taken the play-off into extra time.
Wales Under-21 coach Bryan Flynn said, "He is a fantastic player who is progressing in the right direction. His passing is sublime and his finish for the goal was just sensational."
As you know, I don't write about the Arsenal kids. I don't know much about them, so I don't say much on ANR. However, Aaron Ramsey impresses us every time we see him. He was brilliant again last night. But he was gutted because there was no reward. Wales were never losing the game and looked the better side for most of of it.
To me, Ramsey is a throwback to the Seventies. He reminds me of two great players. He's 50% Dalglish, 50% Platini.
If he wasn't already an Arsenal player, they would have to buy him. He was at Cardiff and turned down the chance to join Manchester United, preferring to come to Arsenal. How good is that?
I haven't seen much of him or read much about him but it's clear that Aaron Ramsey, 17, is an exceptional talent. He will have much happier nights than this one. And at Villa Park too.
Oct 14, 2008