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Oxlade-Chamberlain: This season is a great opportunity for me 


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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain believes he has plenty of good football left in him as he marks four years with Liverpool.

 

In that time, the former Arsenal midfielder who was signed on transfer deadline day in 2017 has had his fair share of highs and lows, but he still remains a valued member of Jurgen Klopp’s squad.

 

While fans see what Footballers produce on the pitch, often their most challenging work is produced away from the bright lights and adulation especially when they are recovering from major injuries.

 

It is something that Oxlade-Chamberlain has had to deal with a few times throughout his career, most notably when the 28 year-old tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament against Roma in the semi final of the Champions League in 2018.

 

At the time many thought the England international was just reaching his peak form, however reflecting on that period, Oxlade-Chamberlain believes his first full season back was his best to date.

 

The Official site reported the midfielder as saying:

 

"When I came back from the ACL, I played quite a bit in the season we won the league [2019-20] and I think I got the most goals that I'd got from midfield in my career – I think eight goals and a few assists – and obviously we finished the season brilliantly in terms of winning the league and that was amazing. 

 

"But I think that season when I look back to it from my point of view, I'm always proud of what I was able to do coming back from that injury and basically going the whole season uninjured and being available at all times, but I think there was probably a bit of hangover from that injury.

 

"In terms of myself, I don't remember a consistent enough spell where I felt like I was on fire. I think it was a good season in terms of what I'd come back from to get back to that level and play and be back away with England and stuff as well. 

 

The midfielder commonly referred to as 'Ox' is feeling in good physical shape in the early stages of this season, and now viewed as a senior member of this squad feels that he can impart his knowledge onto his youngster teammates.

 

oxlade-chamberlain1_600.jpg

 

“I feel like (this season) is  just a chance for me to kick on and put down a really good season of consistent performances and hopefully some good numbers as well in terms of goals, assists.

 

"It doesn't feel like a new start because it's all been part of the journey, the story. But I feel like this season's important for me to go and do something really good – hopefully on an individual level and then obviously for the team."

 

“Once you've been around the block and you've done a lot, that experience is important and it helps you going into games, into situations, playing with other players – how to communicate with each other and get the best out of each other and seeing them in general situations day to day. 

 

"Experience always helps in that respect, so I don't mind it. But it's strange to think of me as one of the older ones now in the team."

 

As he enters into the next phase of his career, the new father says the time has come to enjoy what he has achieved throughout his career and just embrace the challenges that lay ahead.

 

“Winning the Premier League, when the boys performed how they did out in Madrid and lifted the trophy, Man City at Anfield, things like that – they're the ones that stick with me and take energy from, for sure.

 

“And I've sort of had to remind myself that through all (the ups and downs), I'm still lucky enough to be at an amazing football club like Liverpool and how lucky I am to have that opportunity to still be in this environment, competing at this level. 

 

"So it's probably more a thing to sort of appreciate and enjoy every day.

 

"Enjoy the challenge of trying to get in our team, and when you are in the team or not in the team, helping to still be competing for the biggest titles in the world.”

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Hate to say it, but these sort of articles are just depressing at this point.

 

A couple of fringe forwards and a couple of fringe midfielders we can’t rely on are the obstacle to us having one more in each of those positions who can push the first-teamers and genuinely contribute when they’re unavailable.

 

Lacking those figures may well be the difference between winning something and not this season. You have to be ruthless sometimes and we just haven’t been in these cases.

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10 minutes ago, Alex_K said:

What a weird, weird signing that one was. Not least because he was almost at the end of his contract.

Stylistically, there was nothing weird with the signing. Klopp had also talked him up when Dortmund had played Arsenal in the Champions League. He clearly rated him. It's not been great since his knee tear unfortunately.

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£35 million for a player entering the final year of his contract, with a history of severe knee injuries (as well as numerous serious thigh + hamstring injuries) and no discernable main position on the pitch, who had played the full 90 minutes a grand total of 9 league games in the 2 seasons preceding his arrival yielding 9 league goals in 7 seasons.

 

Yes, I think I'd say that was a weird signing.

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6 minutes ago, Alex_K said:

£35 million for a player entering the final year of his contract, with a history of severe knee injuries (as well as numerous serious thigh + hamstring injuries) and no discernable main position on the pitch, who had played the full 90 minutes a grand total of 9 league games in the 2 seasons preceding his arrival yielding 9 league goals in 7 seasons.

 

Yes, I think I'd say that was a weird signing.

Quite easy to explain if you know what Klopp tries to do tactically, but this had been discussed ad nauseum at the time of the signing, so no point.

 

Just because a signing may not pan out to the fullest extent, doesn't mean the thinking was faulty.

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Like I say ... dedicating £35 million to an asset that would have been £0 12 months later, an asset with a demonstrable record of all manner of muscle injuries throughout 7 seasons prior that left him with single-digit 90 min league appearances in the prior 2 years (including those which would then plague him here), and an asset with no record of scoring/assisting consistently from wide or central positions when he was fully fit (which has always been rare, before & during LFC) when our spend has been so utterly constrained was weird.

 

There was nothing, ever, in Oxlade Chamberlain's career to suggest he'd offer much more than limited upside at that fee. As it is, he has been a significant drain. Thankfully we also signed Mo Salah for £35 million that summer, which decidedly was not a weird signing, nor was the bulk of our other dealings through this period (incl. Robertson for £8 million that summer). Matuidi & Bernardo Silva went for less or similar sums that summer; then again, Everton signed Sigurdsson for more while Chelsea bought Danny Drinkwater with the amount we paid for Oxlade, so I suppose he is in esteemed company.

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Needs to keep fit, work hard, take his chance in the first team when it comes and get amongst the goals.

 

Bizarre reading people complaining about few or lack of transfers yet complain the club shouldnt have paid £35m for a player when they did. We paid £24m for Thiago, should we not have bought him because he had less than 12 months on his contract, either?

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22 minutes ago, dockers_strike said:

Needs to keep fit, work hard, take his chance in the first team when it comes and get amongst the goals.

 

Bizarre reading people complaining about few or lack of transfers yet complain the club shouldnt have paid £35m for a player when they did. We paid £24m for Thiago, should we not have bought him because he had less than 12 months on his contract, either?

I thought Thiago was a free?

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On 07/09/2021 at 14:35, etho said:

This article reminds me of some of the ones the likes of Smicer used to come out with now and again during the Houllier days. 

I like Ox and hope it happens for him but the talking happens on the pitch

Let's hope it has a similar sort of ending. 

 

vladimir_smicer_liverpool_.jpeg

On 07/09/2021 at 16:32, VladimirIlyich said:

I thought Thiago was a free?

No, £20m. 

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