Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s time in Liverpool for a while now hasn’t been all that good with him just recovering from injury. Although he has been in an impressive form this season, he still hasn’t gotten back to the Chamberlain we used to see. He is an energetic midfielder who can dribble really well and score, too.
His recent injury, however, has made him lose his place in the first team, especially with the way Jurgen Klopp plays, with play focused more on the wings. This has affected his playing time because Alexander-Arnold and Robertson are doing a pretty good job holding it down for the Reds.
Now that he is back to full fitness following the serious knee injury he suffered in April 2018, his performance over the last couple of games cannot be simply overlooked. He has been really impactful in the midfield and also contributing immensely to attack as well. His Champions League and Carabao Cup appearances were nothing short of impressive.
He has been on fire and was back this week to show it during Liverpool’s match against Belgian side Genk in their Champions League clash, and that has made several people talk about him including former footballer and now football pundit, Michael Owen who had much to say about Chamberlain on BT Sport as seen on Express UK.
“Liverpool’s midfield are very, very efficient.
“We’ve used that word quite a bit tonight but they are an efficient midfield.
“None of them, really, are similar to Oxlade-Chamberlain. He can come on and he can change things.
“Now, whether the way Liverpool play would suit Oxlade-Chamberlain playing permanently, I mean we all know how attacking their full-backs are but that’s mainly due to that midfield being solid as a rock.
“If you then let one go and he starts running past the strikers and whatever, yes it might be a bit more attractive but can the full-backs then gamble?
“It might just knock your balance a little bit of the team.
“But, as an alternative, it’s great to see because he has got something different that no one else offers.”
The uncertainty around Chamberlain’s future in Liverpool
The dynamic of the Liverpool squad allows it to play really well from the wing using the back to play an attacking game style. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s style of play however is different somewhat. He is a player who shoots well and going back to Jurgen Klopp’s board, we can agree on how he feels shooting is dangerous for Liverpool as it lets the team lose possession, earning the opponents a goal-kick that threatens the Liverpool’s defence.
Having that in mind, we can say Chamberlain doesn’t really fit into that style of play and might find it hard under Klopp.
Should Klopp need to play someone with a style that’s different, Chamberlain will always be the man for that role because he provides something different. He can go past people and offers a threat but the fact that he doesn’t play the style the others in his role-play is a big problem for him.
If he is able to adjust, it will definitely affect his game but if he doesn’t, then he will find it hard to get a permanent place in Klopp’s first team. This might lead to him seeking options which will lead to him wanting out of the club.
Conclusion
Chamberlain is no doubt a quality player but as it is, his future in Liverpool isn’t really certain because of his style of play. Surely enough, Klopp will have known what quality he possesses and will not let him go easy but that will be hard to prevent if he doesn’t get to play as much as he want.
