Paul Robinson has warned that a potential long-term injury for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will do Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool little in the way of favours.
This is particularly given the side’s sub-par performance without the Englishman in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.
“Oxlade-Chamberlain’s injury leaves the options for the front three at just Jota, [Roberto] Firmino and [Takumi] Minamino, and let’s be honest, they failed to impress when they played together against Arsenal,” the former Tottenham shotstopper told Football Insider.
“Oxlade-Chamberlain’s injury is the last thing Klopp needed with Mane and Salah at the African Cup of Nations. Oxlade-Chamberlain will be a huge miss.
“That is now three of Liverpool’s front players missing until early February. It will be a real test for their squad.”
The Reds looked far more competent and aggressive with the additions of the former Gunners star and Curtis Jones for the 3-0 home victory over Brentford at the weekend.
Without the likes of Sadio Mane and Mo Salah around to provide extra width on the wings, the Englishman’s involvement appeared to help the fluidity of our movement after a particularly sluggish outing against Mikel Arteta’s men.
That’s not to overlook the importance of Curtis Jones, who adds some much-needed creativity to the middle of the park whilst the likes of Naby Keita and Thiago Alcantara remain absent courtesy of the AFCON and injury respectively.
We’ve yet to receive confirmation on the severity of Oxlade-Chamberlain’s injury sustained against the Bees on Sunday, though we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed for his availability in the mid-week clash.