We all love players who work hard, but sometimes it’s difficult to see what difference hard work makes if it’s away from the ball. It’s even more difficult to spot if hard work didn’t happen.
Take a look at Aaron Ramsey’s beautiful and, as it ended up, game-deciding goal in the 2-1 Arsenal victory against Swansea:
Three players, Ramsey, Wilshere and Giroud, all combined to create a beautiful and textbook counter-attacking team goal. It’s vintage Arsenal and why the team is so much fun to watch. All three players had to stay with the play and continue to run at top speed throughout.
Wilshere in particular deserves credit because, at the outset of the play when it was far from clear it would actually result in a genuine scoring opportunity, he hustled and beat Swansea’s Jonathan de Guzman to Ramsey’s inspired but slightly weak flick-on and won that on a sliding 50-50 challenge. Wilshere slid in, the ball bounced right for him and he was instantly on his feet and racing towards goal with Giroud and Ramsey in tow. That’s a great positive example about work rate.
But that video clip also contains a negative one. Go back and watch de Guzman after he loses the 50-50 to Wilshere. He stopped. Well, not literally – he managed a half-hearted jog in the general direction of the goal, but he wasn’t even within 10 yards of the penalty area by the time Ramsey’s shot hit the net. With one of the game’s most dangerous counter-attacking plays unfolding right in front of his eyes with his team trailing 0-1 and only part of the Swans’ defense able to scramble back to try to stop it, he did nothing to help out.
Remember, this was a play that was far from over at this point, even after Wilshere won the ball. There were fully seven more seconds before Ramsey could get his shot off, and recall that Ramsey received the ball on a pass back from Giroud, and then had to cut back himself towards the top of the 18-yard box before he could shoot.
Like Wilshere, de Guzman was sliding in the direction of the play on that 50-50 ball, so he could have used his forward momentum to jump to his feet and continue to track back just like Wilshere did running forward. I’m convinced that if he tracked back at speed, he’s in position in the 18-yard box to challenge Ramsey from behind, perhaps without Ramsey even knowing he’s there, and stop him from shooting. His failure to do that ended up costing his team at least one point.
Sometimes that extra effort makes all the difference. Be happy that we are fortunate enough to root for a team full of hustlers. COYG!
-Chris
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The Forward Observer 
Love this blog. Excellent writing and analysis. Thank you and keep it up!
Thank you.