Why England And Liverpool Will Miss Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Why England And Liverpool Will Miss Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
10:48, 25 Apr 2018

The sight of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain being stretchered off on Tuesday night was one that will have had Liverpool fans gnawing at their finger nails. “It’s probably a really bad injury,” Jurgen Klopp said after the match. It couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Reds.

When Liverpool first acquired the midfielder last summer, many scoffed at the decision to spend around £35m on a player whose role had never really been defined, and one whose contract was expiring at the end of the 2017/18 season. Arsenal must’ve been laughing all the way to the bank as they made a substantial profit on a player unwilling to extend his deal at the time and a career at the risk of stalling due to ongoing injury issues.

Yet Klopp saw in him a player who’d suit his Liverpool side perfectly and on the back of a stuttering start to life on Merseyside, is a key man for the German and his XI. So for him to be stretchered off with a knee problem against Roma will have all those associated with the club sweating on his fitness. While the Merseyside outfit ultimately cruised to a 5-2 win over Roma, with Liverpool’s goal glut starting after Oxlade-Chamberlain went off, his possible spell on the sidelines couldn’t have come at a worse time for Klopp.

The Liverpool boss is already without midfielders Emre Can and Adam Lallana due to injury; Georginio Wijnaldum, Jordan Henderson and James Milner are now his only fit central midfielders as the season nears its climax. Oxlade-Chamberlain’s absence, though, is what hurts the most. Can is expected to leave in the summer, with Juventus are likely destination, while Lallana has been absent for much of the campaign through injury. The Englishman, though, has thrived, particularly in the wake of Philippe Coutinho’s January exit.

Some may have fretted when the Brazilian left for Barcelona, especially as Liverpool opted against bringing in a replacement, but it allowed Oxlade-Chamberlain the chance to thrive and he grabbed the opportunity to nail down a regular starting spot with the both hands. His surging runs from deep help punch holes in the opposition defence, and with the fluid front three all chopping and changing position to drag players out of position, Oxlade-Chamberlain has capitalised, with this his most prolific season to date having chipped in with three goals and seven assists.

Indeed, to the surprise of few now, Liverpool are all the better with him in the starting XI with the Reds’ win ratio with Oxlade-Chamberlain from the off far better (71.4%) than it is without him (47.6%). The number of goals conceded per game also drops from 1.24 to 0.79, as per WhoScored.com, in part due to his positional discipline as he abides to the demands of his manager for the benefit of the team. They’ll miss his impact on and off the ball, that goes without saying.

England, too, will be keeping a watchful eye on any developments in Oxlade-Chamberlain’s fitness as the World Cup edges closers. With just 50 days until Russia 2018 kicks off, the 24-year-old has gone from squad member to potential starter in a short space of time. Having been unable to make the Euro 2016 squad with a knee issue, and failed to make an appearance at the 2014 World Cup with a similar problem, for him to miss the World Cup would serve as a blow for both player and nation.

Fans will be closely monitoring Liverpool’s social media channels over the coming days for any news on Oxlade-Chamberlain’s recovery and crossing fingers hoping that his injury isn’t as bad as initially feared. However, with Klopp hinting that his season is now over, it’s a blow for Liverpool in their pursuit of Champions League glory. Given his club form, the Three Lions may also feel the impact of his absence this summer should the worst fears be realised.

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