Aaron Ramsey has vowed to help Arsenal secure a return to the Champions League and win his first medal with the club in the FA Cup.
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Ramsey made his comeback against Everton last Sunday after three months sidelined through injury but he was unable to halt a 3-0 defeat that left the Gunners needing their top-four rivals to slip up if they are to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
With an FA Cup semifinal on the horizon against Wigan this weekend, Ramsey is eager to end his and Arsenal’s season on a high, despite a clutch of recent heavy defeats.
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caption:Aaron Ramsey's much-anticipated return to action is a major boon for Arsenal.
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“We have to pick ourselves back up now,” Ramsey told Arsenal’s official website. “We have still got a lot of points to play for. We are in the semifinal of the FA Cup, so we have got to put things right.
“We have to put a strong run-in together now. We have five games left [in the Premier League] and we will aim to win them all to give us the best opportunity to finish fourth or higher.”
Ramsey is convinced Arsenal did not surrender their hopes of a top-four finish with their defeat at Everton, with the Welshman suggesting Roberto Martinez’s men still have it all to do to claim the final Champions League spot.
“I think Everton still have a few difficult games but then again every game is difficult in this league,” Ramsey said. “So many teams can upset each other so we will have to be aware of that, concentrate on ourselves and just play for the remaining 15 points.
“It was a massive game [at Everton last Sunday], there was a lot riding on it but we conceded some sloppy goals. We were quite vulnerable on the counter-attack and they exploited the opportunities.
“I thought we started quite positively, we had a few attempts and got into dangerous positions, but you can’t concede goals like that.”
Ramsey’s return to fitness is a boost for an Arsenal midfield that has been hit by a host of injury problems in recent weeks, with the former Cardiff man admitting his time in the treatment room was tough to deal with.
“It was very frustrating for me to be out for three months of the season when things were looking so good,” added Ramsey, who started this campaign as one of the outstanding performers in the Premier League and had appeared a contender for the PFA Player of the Year award.
“These things happen in football and I am just glad to be back out there now. Hopefully I can show what I can do, help this team achieve Champions League football again and hopefully have a medal at the end of the year.”