Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

[magicrat]

Agree with you, he needs to be disciplined in midfield. Can he though ?

 

Probably, by now Klopp will have had a few good long discussions with him about what he expects and the player will be eager to impress, He was stagnating at Arsenal and this move is a chance for him to fulfil his potential, You can never be sure but he doesn't strike me as a football retard , Moreno style, and he has obvious ability so I'm optimistic, That said no hat-trick in the first half on Saturday and he can fuck right off, 

[VERBAL DIARRHEA]

Probably, by now Klopp will have had a few good long discussions with him about what he expects and the player will be eager to impress, He was stagnating at Arsenal and this move is a chance for him to fulfil his potential, You can never be sure but he doesn't strike me as a football retard , Moreno style, and he has obvious ability so I'm optimistic, That said no hat-trick in the first half on Saturday and he can fuck right off,

 

I've never rated him but will back the manager and his ability to improve him. People must stop with the Ox shite though, that is unforgivable.

[The Guest]

He's just never a centre midfielder in a million years. I just don't know where he's getting that idea from if it's true. His passing and decision making is that of an attacking player. He makes risky passes and whenever he's played centre midfield he looks uncomfortable playing easier balls.

 

The reason he's a footballer is because he's good at dribbling, he's very quick especially when accelerating and has an engine on him. The more I look at his signing the more it just looks like the club felt they needed to buy somebody because the Van Dijk signing wasn't going through, Keita isn't coming until next year and they didn't think Lemar was worth the massive money.

 

I said it before we came in for Chamberlain. We are stacked in midfield. We've got Henderson in front of the defence where Milner or Can can also play. We've then got the other 2 midfield positions and that's if we continue with a 433. Wijnaldum and Can will start ahead of him and then Coutinho and Lallana should also or Milner. There's also the argument Grujic is better than him in midfield and I'd agree with that.

 

I think he will get games for us because Klopp will want to play him but in the end he will end up as our back up winger.

[thompsonsnose]

Oxlade has never really had a defined role at Arsenal, or England for that matter.

There is talent there, but more importantly, if kept fit, some actual power for our midfield.

Let's see.

[Russ Atmosphere]

Wish his footballing ability was as huge as his arse.

[Josef Svejk]

What is it with English players who are clearly not midfielders wanting to play in midfield? Beckham, Downing, Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain, and one or two others it wouldn't be popular to mention. Seriously, you can be a valuable player on the right or left side of midfield and many great players have specialised in those positions...

[Hades]

What is it with English players who are clearly not midfielders wanting to play in midfield? Beckham, Downing, Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain, and one or two others it wouldn't be popular to mention. Seriously, you can be a valuable player on the right or left side of midfield and many great players have specialised in those positions...

Part of the footballing culture and overpaid arrogance. Wanting to be "in the mixer". Not valuing off the ball movement.

[El Rojo]

What is it with English players who are clearly not midfielders wanting to play in midfield? Beckham, Downing, Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain, and one or two others it wouldn't be popular to mention. Seriously, you can be a valuable player on the right or left side of midfield and many great players have specialised in those positions...

 

Is that a Gerrard reference by any chance? I thought he was pretty imperious everywhere across midfield until his legs went (except for the car crash that is England), and even then Rodgers, to his credit, used him smartly in that deeper role in 2013/14.

[Josef Svejk]

Is that a Gerrard reference by any chance? I thought he was pretty imperious everywhere across midfield until his legs went (except for the car crash that is England), and even then Rodgers, to his credit, used him smartly in that deeper role in 2013/14.

Well, he's a more debatable case... But he played much his best football for us on the right and later supporting Torres. In my opinion.

[El Rojo]

Well, he's a more debatable case... But he played much his best football for us on the right and later supporting Torres. In my opinion.

 

Agree with you on his best football being just behind Torres, but I wouldn't list him with the others as being ill-suited to the centre of midfield. He didn't really get the credit he deserved for 2013/14. Suarez-effect notwithstanding, he was great in the centre even then.

 

His heart and his legs went with that title challenge, though. Quite understandably.

[Josef Svejk]

Agree with you on his best football being just behind Torres, but I wouldn't list him with the others as being ill-suited to the centre of midfield. He didn't really get the credit he deserved for 2013/14. Suarez-effect notwithstanding, he was great in the centre even then.

 

His heart and his legs went with that title challenge, though. Quite understandably.

Like I say, Gerrard is a more debatable (and sensitive) case. But he obviously felt that playing on the right for Liverpool or the left for England was somewhat demeaning. I don't get that mentality.

[G Richards]

Klopp is a good judge of footballer. He has made good signings since he's been here. As I think about the list of players and mentally go through them, all I'm thinking is "good player." I'm struggling to think of a bad player the manager has bought at Liverpool, though by the law of averages there must be, but it's escaping me right now!

 

I'm sure AOC will prove to be a good signing. He was stagnating at Arsenal and I wouldn't judge anyone's ability based on how they do for England, playing for a manager who is light years behind our own.

 

Like everyone else I can see him on the right and offering back up to our wingers. If he plays in the middle let's see. His dribbling stats are very good, and his acceleration is too, so maybe he will be used to break through against the low block teams? Mane and Salah either side, with AOC breaking through the middle? In theory it seems to give the defending team a lot more to think about, rather than seeing us play all of our football in front of them and not really troubling them. Get them turned, and score and score again!

 

The main thing preventing a title challenge* has been our relative struggles against the bottom half teams who set up to keep us out. We drop too many points there. AOC might be part of the solution to help us gather more points against such teams.

 

* Squad depth, breaking lesser teams down, defensive vulnerability. These have been the main three reasons things stopping a title challenge. AOC adds depth and probably a skill set to help us break teams down - not in the way Coutinho does with his vision and passing and shooting, and not in the way Salah and Mane do on the flanks, but right through the middle as a dribbling battering ram, breaking through lines and getting the opposition turned around. It's another ingredient in the recipe Klopp is cooking up, and I can see the sense in it.

[Pureblood]

What is it with English players who are clearly not midfielders wanting to play in midfield? Beckham, Downing, Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain, and one or two others it wouldn't be popular to mention. Seriously, you can be a valuable player on the right or left side of midfield and many great players have specialised in those positions...

 

Could be something to do with a shift away from teams playing 4-4-2.  If you don't have the pace or instinct in front of goal to play in the front three you need to find something else to be good at.   The Ox, of course, does have the pace but it will take an excellent player to displace Mané, Firmino or Salah.  

[G Richards]

PS - I'm not talking about AOC replacing Firmino, but starting deeper in the midfield and breaking through lines from there. Not saying it will be the default Klopp goes for, but I can see it as a useful option against stubborn teams who are sitting in.

[TheHowieLama]

Yep - we saw Wij getting more effective going forward - if Lallana was in the three he would be doing the same. Seems to have been acknowledged that 2 of the three midfielders need to contribute while Henderson runs around.

[The Guest]

Like I say, Gerrard is a more debatable (and sensitive) case. But he obviously felt that playing on the right for Liverpool or the left for England was somewhat demeaning. I don't get that mentality.

He couldn't influence the game as much from those positions. He may have hit personal highs in goals and assists which you would expect playing in a more attacking position but the fact we won nothing probably proved him right. He's the most complete player I've ever seen and in a season when we had a world class team we could have played him anywhere. I doubt he felt it demeaning then. He was probably annoyed at how negative we were when he was deployed anywhere but centre mid which ended up costing us games and trophies.

 

09/10 was an absolute disaster because the manager was obsessed with playing him behind the striker. People always talk about playing his best football there but he actually played his worst football there in that season.

[Josef Svejk]

I disagree. Strongly. But was trying to avoid a Gerrard debate!

[The Guest]

Fair enough. The Beckham obsession with playing centrally was the most odd I always thought. He was lethal when he played out wide throughout the 90's. They would load the box and he would just throw cross after cross in. I remember one game at anfield in his later years. I was sat in the lower centenary and pointed out to my dad how unusual it was that he wasn't on the touch line at any point just constantly drifting inside. He was shite and we won. I can't remember which game it was like but i don't think it was too long before he fucked off to Madrid.

[El Dangerous]

With regards to Gerrard it really depends on the personnel on and off the pitch. Obvuously with Xabi and Mascher anchoring the team and Rafa loving his structure Gerrard was always going to best deployed in a free role. Had he been at his peak years in that Rodgers team theres no way id have played him in that last third when his engine and drive would have provided Coutinho, Sturridge, Suarez and Sterling with some real world class back up feeding them. I think at his peak he'd have been the best player on the field where ever his position was.

[magicrat]

Could be something to do with a shift away from teams playing 4-4-2.  If you don't have the pace or instinct in front of goal to play in the front three you need to find something else to be good at.   The Ox, of course, does have the pace but it will take an excellent player to displace Mané, Firmino or Salah.  

 

I bet Klopp rotates them to start with, which is fair enough given the potential fixture list

[Numero Veinticinco]

https://youtu.be/CB2YMJDqp-g

[Bjornebye]

Fair enough. The Beckham obsession with playing centrally was the most odd I always thought. He was lethal when he played out wide throughout the 90's. They would load the box and he would just throw cross after cross in. I remember one game at anfield in his later years. I was sat in the lower centenary and pointed out to my dad how unusual it was that he wasn't on the touch line at any point just constantly drifting inside. He was shite and we won. I can't remember which game it was like but i don't think it was too long before he fucked off to Madrid.

 

Agreed. He was unreal out on the wing Beckham. 

[CWD82]

Short sighted about Chamberlain a bit here.

 

We play with 2 number 8's in front of Henderson and potentially he could be very good there. He's strong, quick and can dribble and seems to be able to run all day which suggests he'll be perfect for either when we press or when we break from deep. I can see lots of value in him beating a man deep then having the front 3 in 1v1's

 

Obviously theirs questions around his intelligence and end product but I think that will be worked on and that ultimately will make or break him but that's what he's come here for, he wants to play and improve which is a great attitude.

 

I think he's going to surprise a few. I reckon Wijnaldum and Can might struggle to keep him out the team by the end of the season

[jimmycase]

Short sighted about Chamberlain a bit here.

 

We play with 2 number 8's in front of Henderson and potentially he could be very good there. He's strong, quick and can dribble and seems to be able to run all day which suggests he'll be perfect for either when we press or when we break from deep. I can see lots of value in him beating a man deep then having the front 3 in 1v1's

 

Obviously theirs questions around his intelligence and end product but I think that will be worked on and that ultimately will make or break him but that's what he's come here for, he wants to play and improve which is a great attitude.

 

I think he's going to surprise a few. I reckon Wijnaldum and Can might struggle to keep him out the team by the end of the season

 

A good shout, this.

[Dundalis]

Short sighted about Chamberlain a bit here.

 

We play with 2 number 8's in front of Henderson and potentially he could be very good there. He's strong, quick and can dribble and seems to be able to run all day which suggests he'll be perfect for either when we press or when we break from deep. I can see lots of value in him beating a man deep then having the front 3 in 1v1's

 

Obviously theirs questions around his intelligence and end product but I think that will be worked on and that ultimately will make or break him but that's what he's come here for, he wants to play and improve which is a great attitude.

 

I think he's going to surprise a few. I reckon Wijnaldum and Can might struggle to keep him out the team by the end of the season

 

While I think he will be a solid squad signing, I'd be shocked if he put in performances in midfield anywhere near as good as what Can is currently showing. As for Wijnaldum, he's underrated and doesn't really ever stand out like some others, but he might be the most intelligent footballer in our entire team. For me he's a second 11 no 8, who can fill in a multitude of positions in case of injury, which still means he will get plenty of games.