da betano casino： This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
da realbet： When Liverpool signed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from Premier League rivals Arsenal back in the summer of 2017 for a fee in the region of £35m, the Reds no doubt thought they were getting a man who could really offer quality depth out wide. After all, in his time with the Gunners, the England international played just 17 times in central midfield, with the position he played in the most being on the right-hand side.
But since arriving at Anfield, the 26-year-old has shown that he is more than capable of playing in the trio of midfielders that Jurgen Klopp likes to set up with. As per Transfermarkt, in his 58 total appearances for the club, 23 of them have come from the middle of the park – the most of any position he has occupied on the pitch for the Merseyside club. And he has been at his most effective there too.
In the games he has played in central midfield, Oxlade-Chamberlain has scored five times and provided a further six assists, which comfortably betters anything that he has produced from other areas. Yet on Saturday afternoon against Crystal Palace, Klopp inexplicably decided to deploy the former Arsenal man from out wide, as a direct replacement for Mohamed Salah who was on the bench.
It was therefore no surprise to see the Englishman really struggle to impose himself on the game. As per Sofascore, his 6.3 match rating was the lowest of any Liverpool player who started the match, and looking at the underlying numbers from his performance, it is easy to see why. The £35m man had no shots whatsoever despite playing further advanced up the pitch, had just 27 touches (the fewest of any starter) and completed none of his three attempted dribbles.
It was the kind of performance that should really make Klopp finally sit up and take notice. To truly get the best out of Oxlade-Chamberlain, the Reds boss must simply use him in his most effective position. Otherwise, he risks having him rot away from out wide with no real influence or contribution for the side.