Hector Bellerin says Aaron Ramsey training ground nagging finally paid off after the Spaniard delivered the exact type of assist the Welshman has been craving.
The midfielder set Arsenal on their way to a 4-1 win over CSKA Moscow when he converted a beautifully weighted low cross from the Spanish right-back with a crisp first-time finish.
The move was straight off the manicured lawns of London Colney.
“I spoke to Aaron and he always tells me about ‘cutbacks, cutbacks, cutbacks’ and finally we got one,” Bellerin told Arsenal.com.
“I am happy that what works in training, works in a game.”
Ramsey went on to grab a second goal not long after, this time with an amazingly deft flick to convert a fantastic clipped pass by Mesut Ozil.
The German was in an inspired mood all evening, creating chances for his teammates at will.
“Mesut is a player that is really hard to defend against for other teams and when he finds that space in the midfield, he outplays everyone there. We are very lucky to have him, of course.”
Bellerin also touched on the result and what it means for the Gunners before they head to Moscow next week for the second leg.
“We are happy. We knew that Moscow had to go on the attack [in the second half] and we should have scored a few more goals I believe.
“In the second half we had loads of chances but we are lucky that it is 4-1 because if the score was a bit tighter then we would have regretted missing those chances. But with a three-goal lead going to Russia, we are happy.
He added: “Every time you play away it is really hard. In the stands there is a lot of cheering against us, but we will go there with a really positive mindset.”
They should be happy, they are a better team so will have to be very unlucky to lose overall.
Once again, signs that the spirit in the team is very good, lots of support but also talking on how to improve.
“I spoke to Aaron and he always tells me about ‘cutbacks, cutbacks, cutbacks’”
Rambo has famously always been a huge fan of austerity measures.
Though not in his ongoing salary negotiations…
I heard he’s the one who drafted up Wilshere’s ‘pay as you play’ contract.
Understandably, it’s caused some heat in the dressing room.
He also likes badgers
Great work from bellerin in the final third nice to see an end product. Just an observation, but watching his defensive play in the first half was worrying, he was a bit all over the place. hopefully he’ll get it together quickly.
Fair observation. He was good going forward but had some issues covering Musa. I think the issue as always is we are dependent on him providing pace going forward. If you look at the team now, we have plenty of players in midfield who like to pinch infield – Ramsey, Ozil, Mhkitaryan. Also up top, aside from Aubameyang, Lacazette isn’t the quickest. Welbeck is quick but comparatively less effective, Nelson is still young. Meanwhile we have lost Alexis, the Ox and Walcott (not to mention Gnabry) So when Bellerin pushes forward to assist in creating width out right, he tends… Read more »
“In the second half we had loads of chances but we are lucky that it is 4-1 because if the score was a bit tighter then we would have regretted missing those chances.
Very well said, Hector!
clearly that are structural issues with this team that need to be dealt with at the end of the season (you don’t keep company with Burnley & Everton without some serious issues) but the European campaign is increasingly fun to watch. The effort is there – our attacking seems much better as European teams give us more space to play. The players seem to really be enjoying it as well. Even if the PL has been little short of a disaster it would be amazing to end this season with a European trophy and a route back into the CL!
I like hector as a personality and think he’s got plenty of potential to be great. However to suggest that was a ‘beautifully weighted pass’ is absurd. If it was intended then great execution but but I don’t think it was. And IF it was then I think it just highlights why he’s not improved as we’d have liked. There was a far easier pass I think to miki right in front of goal. If he didn’t see that or couldn’t execute it then I think it’s a far greater measure of where he’s at. Not to say I don’t… Read more »
Give the lad a break.
My comment isn’t to put the lad down. More to do with blog’s perception of what he currently produces. I think he’s a nice lad who works hard and i like him.
Why are you debating this particular pass then? It found Ramsey in plenty of space and the article explains they’ve been practicing this move. Oh, and it was an assist.
The things people find to moan about.
Good to hear/read.
The key to it and our performance in the first half was one-touch football.
Exactly so. Quick passing and crucially we moved the ball forward.
Beautifully weighted pass by Ozil to Ramsey. An absolutely brilliant improv by Rambo. Wenger’s attempt to play a fluid midfield behind the striker finally paying dividends as we pull them all over the shop. It helped of course that they went 3 in defense and the combine age was 107 for their Cbacks. But we were not as effective come second half without the Mhki and Lacazette so superiority can often be balanced on a razor’s edge. We still need an option in wide area for the attack and in midfield. We should address both in market this summer (plus… Read more »
I thought Hector was probably our worst player on Thursday he gave the ball away loads and was caught out of position quite a bit too. I think we need a decent RB backup to enable him to get a rest from time to time. I like him but he seemed slower than he used to and his concentration levels were lacking. Could be a bit of burn out. Sadly, we don’t really have a decent backup there.