Ramires was one of Chelsea’s star performers during the 2011/12 season, a season which saw the Blues capture both the FA Cup and the Champions League. Many expected Ramires to build on his excellent performances from that season and nail down a regular place in the starting XI in the 2012/13 season. And while he did manage to feature quite regularly for Chelsea, it’s safe to say he didn’t improve on the form he displayed the season before.
While he did manage to put in a few good performances during the 2012/13 season, his season will no doubt be remembered for his consistently poor form, characterised by an inability to pick out a man with even a simple 6-yard pass as well as his poor first touch and general inability to influence the game from midfield. He did get a few goals, and his work-rate in general was always excellent wherever he was deployed. Sadly, his excellent work-rate cannot compensate for one poor performance after another.

Mind you, not all of the problems he faced are down to him. The deep role in a midfield double pivot isn’t exactly his favoured role. Ramires is most effective when deployed as the advanced midfielder in a midfield three. His lightning pace, amazing work-rate and stamina are well-suited to that position. He can burst forward with pace to aid the attack and track back and help out in defence whenever possession is lost. Playing in a deeper role means he isn’t able to get forward whenever he wants to and must sit back and dictate the game, something he isn’t exactly good at.
Playing in a deeper role last season exposed the flaws in his game. His passing range isn’t the best, and his poor first touch and control often led to Chelsea losing possession. Someone who struggles to complete a 6-yard sideways pass simply cannot be expected to dictate a game like a Xavi or a Pirlo.
However, Ramires isn’t a totally useless player. His work-rate means he can be used in situations when the team need to shut shop (or “park the bus”, to use more familiar terminology). Also, if Mourinho wants to sometimes revert to using a 4-3-3 formation against certain teams (as I suspect he might), Ramires could be deployed in his favoured position. However, unless Ramires drastically improves his passing range and his ball control, he won’t be first-choice whenever Chelsea play a 4-2-3-1 formation, as they will most of the time. Marco van Ginkel has an excellent passing range, and so does Frank Lampard (we might not have seen him pass much last season, but that doesn’t mean he’s forgotten how to pass) and both will be preferred to Ramires as the deep-lying playmaker.
So, to answer the question I posed right at the beginning of the article, I don’t see Ramires being anything more than a squad/utility player next season.
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