In his three Liverpool matches since securing a deadline day move, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has not been properly given a chance to shine…
He played 45 minutes against Manchester City, but the game was gone and he barely touched the ball, toiling as Liverpool couldn’t contain our hosts having gone down to ten men.
His contribution v Sevilla was minimal and although he was slightly better against Burnley, it was hardly a noticeable performance.
It’s led some to prematurely suggest his transfer to Liverpool was a mistake, with Jurgen Klopp perhaps not willing to make him a starter – one of the primary reasons he departed Arsenal in the first place.
But Liverpool’s manager has rebuffed this, claiming the Englishman badly needed the transfer – intimating he’ll play a more important role once he’s tactically settled in.
“I think it would be strange if I were to say something about a player after two-and-a-half weeks when Arsene Wenger worked together with him for six or seven years,” Klopp said, when asked about comments previously attributed to the player’s boss about him lacking belief.
“But a new start is very often, kind of, a relief.
“You are in a situation with your old club—I don’t say for Alex especially, but in general it’s like this—you’re in a specific position and you accept it on some point.
“It’s difficult to make the next step, that’s how it is. I thought it made complete sense for Alex to change club, and especially to come here.
“So far, I can see that he’s settled in perfectly. He knew at least all of the England players, and a few others.
“And he’s a really nice lad, so it’s easy for him to settle into a team.
“He takes the situation like it is, he knows he played all the games for Arsenal from the beginning.
“And now he’s coming here and sitting on the bench, it looks like ‘oh, it was not the best decision’.
“But it’s about a long-term thing, and we can already use him, that’s good, but we also want to prepare him. That’s all, it’s all good from this side in the moment.”
The 24-year-old will start tonight against Leicester in the King Power Stadium, and it’ll might interesting to see where Klopp deploys him.
He’s an option for both wide positions and as a no.8 in midfield.
We’d like to see him given his preferred central role and the licence to drive forward and make things happen.