By Lloyd Webb
Aaron Ramsey says that unity and togetherness helps make the Arsenal squad special.
The midfielder has been through highs and lows with his team-mates at club and international level, and is just back from a hamstring injury that ruled him out of crucial games against Bayern Munich and Tottenham.
There is a sign in the Arsenal dressing room that reads “be together”, and Ramsey believes that sums up the mentality at Emirates Stadium.
"Everyone has been through the dark days and the good days together"
“It just means we are all in it together no matter what happens on the pitch,” he told Arsenal Player. “We all back each other, we all trust each other and whatever happens in the game, we stick by each other.
“You understand how to talk to some players when they need encouraging and vice-versa. It grows with time and, over the last few seasons, we have definitely become stronger and more of a tight-knit group.
“As soon as there are egos and people start to think they are better than others then that is when problems occur but that is definitely not the case and everyone works hard for each other.”
Ramsey has helped Wales qualify for the European Championship in France next year, the nation’s first major tournament in 57 years, and he thinks their success is down to a positive team spirit.
“It is a very exciting time at the moment,” said Ramsey. “We have finally qualified for something so it is an amazing achievement from the players and the staff and we are very excited to be going to France.
“It is a good group to be involved in as a lot of players know each other from the under-16s, under-17s and under-18s, all the way through.
“Everyone has been through the dark days and the good days together so everyone works their socks off for each other and you can’t ask for much more than that.”
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