WORDS WITH: RAMIRES Posted on: Sat 01 Feb 2014 Ramires took time from recovering from the midweek visit by West Ham to sit down with the official Chelsea website&look ahead to Mondays game at Man City,as well as outlining his determination to help secure 1 trophy which,until now,has eluded him. For the majority of our players,the likelihood of looking back on Wednesdays goalless draw with any fondness is pretty slim. The Blues dropped 2 important points in a game we would have expected to win prior to kick-off,&were left with little to show for a performance in which we registered 39 attempts on the Hammers goal. Now the dust has settled,Ramires reflects on a London derby which was also his 100th Premier League start,having made his 1st for Chelsea in a 3-1 win at Upton Park in Sept 2010. For a player who,during his time at the club thus far,has played a pivotal role in successful Champions League,FA Cup&Europa League campaigns,the 100 starts is not a standout achievement as a Chelsea player,but it is still a good moment to take stock I enjoy every opportunity I get to play, Ramires tells chelseafc. To play that many games is a great achievement&very important,because its something many players would like to do. This club feels like home to me&I just want to carry on doing well,play as much as I can&try to help us win trophies. After signing for the club from Benfica early in the 2010/11 camapign,Ramires quickly adjusted to the physical demands of the English game,slotting into a 3-man midfield alongside Frank Lampard,Michael Essien or John Mikel Obi,filling the hole left by Michael Ballacks departure. His energy&athleticism in the middle of the park ensured he became a regular in the side fairly quickly,&midway through the season supporters began to see the Brazilian produce high levels of consistency in his play. His 1st goal for the club came when he put the seal on a 4-0 win away at Bolton,a memory which instantly brings a smile to his face. I remember that goal very well, he recalls. Every other player was looking forward to me scoring because Id been playing with them for a long time without scoring. At that moment,when I scored,I remember Didier Drogba hugged me&threw me on the floor&then all the other players arrived&jumped on top of me. I remember that goal as if it was yesterday,not just because it was my 1st goal for the club,but also for the celebrations that followed. His time as a Chelsea player has seen the 26yrs-old involved in a host of memorable matches,both domestically and in Europe. When asked to pick out his favourite Premier League memory,however,he opts for a game against our next opponents. I remember the game vs Arsenal at home last season because we were winning 2-0 at half-time&playing very well,but there have been so many, he says. The other game which stands out was at home to Man City in my 1st season. I won the prize for the clubs Goal of the Season in that game. I took a pass from Michael Essien&managed to dribble past 2 defenders&score. We won the game 2-0&I remember it well because of that goal. During the current campaign,Ramires has played 2,683 minutes,more than any other player in the squad apart from Petr Cech. While his versatility ensures he can play on the right-hand side of the supportive attacking trio,as well as at RB,as he did midway through the 2nd half vs West Ham,Jose Mourinhos favoured position for the Brazilian is as 1 of the 2 deep-lying midfielders. Having played alongside Frank Lampard,John Mikel Obi&David Luiz at various times,Ramires explains the demands placed upon each player dependant on the pairing. It depends on who Im playing alongside but we always need to adapt&have different functions during the game, he says. For example,when Im playing with Obi I stay forward,&its similar with David because he is a natural defender. When I play with Lampard,though,we have to find a way where,if 1 of us goes forward the other has to stay back&vice versa. With the players who are fixed defensively I have more freedom but with Frank we have to adapt well with each other. I think the manager trusts me,I always try to be the best on the field&I do everything to meet his expectations. The draw against Sam Allardyces side,as well as bringing an end to our 7-game winning streak,now means Mondays trip to in-form Man City takes on even greater significance,with the Blues looking to bridge the 3point gap which now exists between the 2 sides. Manuel Pellegrinis side are yet to drop a point in front of their own supporters,but we can take heart from our 2-1 win in the corresponding fixture back in October. We all know that its going to be a difficult game but we beat them at home,even if that was also a tough match, says Ramires. We hope we can win on Monday because if we want to win the title it will be very important. Despite the fact it will be difficult,a victory there would be very sweet&we are going to give our very best. Key to success on Monday night will be those Chelsea players selected by Mourinho winning their individual battles,&for Ramires,that means getting to grips with Yaya Toure&a player he knows well,compatriot Fernandinho. Hes a great player; Ive played with him in the Brazilian team&also against him when he was playing for Shakhtar, he says. Its difficult to say that you know an opponent because the way they play can be very different from what you are used to so you have to adapt&prepare,not only for him,but the whole team. We also have to be careful about the likes of Yaya&[David] Silva because they are capable of making a big difference. With the Champions League returning at the end of this month,&our quests for success in both the Premier League&FA Cup still alive,we are approaching a crucial period in the campaign. The squad has been strengthened during the January window with the additions of Nemanja Matic&Mohamed Salah,&Ramires insists both new signings will have a big part to play. Its always good to have new players who come in with a good mind&want to help us, he explains. Matic had already been here before,he left for Benfica&now hes back,plus we have Salah whos come in as well&we know hes a good player. I think they are both very skilful&they are here to try to help us win titles. Even though theyve arrived midway through the season they can still be very important. Ramires can look back on his time at Stamford Bridge to date with plenty of satisfaction,particularly when taking into account his ever-expanding medal collection. One trophy,however,still eludes the likeable Brazilian,&there is no doubt a Premier League triumph this season really would be an achievement to treasure. When I arrived at the club everybody was saying the same about the Champions League; we were going close every year without winning it,but eventually we managed to win it, he recalls. Its more or less the same with the Premier League,we all dream of winning it&we have to try our very best to do so. If we were able to do that it would be very big moment in my career.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 11:33:39 +0000
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