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Ramsey happier with Wales than Arsenal

Robin van Persie, Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta stand dejected © PA Photos

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Wales captain Aaron Ramsey says he feels more comfortable playing for his country at the moment than Arsenal, describing the situation at his club as "not acceptable".

Ramsey has explained that the opportunity to lead his country in a Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland on Friday is a welcome distraction to the testing time being encountered at the Emirates in the Premier League.

"It's been a difficult time for my club," Ramsey said. "It's been quite frustrating so far with the performances we've shown in the last few games. But hopefully that can turn around pretty quickly."

Asked if it is therefore easier to play for Wales at the moment, Ramsey said: "Absolutely. Arsenal, at the moment, are under a lot of pressure and we haven't produced the results that we know we are capable of doing; everybody is surprised by that.

"For Wales, we are still learning and progressing and that is going along nicely. But obviously Arsenal are one of the top clubs in Europe and to be where we are at the moment is not acceptable."

Meanwhile, the midfielder has challenged Wales to showcase their new-found self-belief when they take to the pitch at the Liberty Stadium.

After a miserable start to the Group G campaign, which saw them slump to four consecutive defeats, Gary Speed's side showed improvement with victory over Montenegro and a good display in a 1-0 defeat to England last month, meaning they can still finish as high as third in the final standings.

"Belief is the main difference [following last month's games]. There is a belief we can actually compete against this sort of opposition.

"Montenegro had done really well to be in their position in the group and against England we should have had a result. We have always had the ability but it is about being more consistent and hopefully we can start to pick up a few more points.

"Switzerland are a good team with a chance of qualifying so they will come out and give everything, but we will concentrate on ourselves and hopefully build on what we have done in the last few performances, keep the progression going and pick up a few wins.

"Our target now is to finish as high as possible and hopefully we can build in every game before the World Cup qualifiers next year," said Ramsey.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.