AS the clock counted down towards a Manchester United visit to Anfield that always carries that extra edge, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain was on media duties for Liverpool.
Since his arrival at Anfield in August 2017, as well as showcasing the skills that earned him a £35milllion move from Arsenal, he has also demonstrated that he’s a deep thinker – on and off the pitch he gets it, and understands what is required.
In front of the camera, like on the ball, he is comfortable and confident. And discussing the importance of the match with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side, he was no different. “They’re the ones you look for and want to step up in and prove yourself and have a good game and get the right result,” the 26-year-old told liverpoolfc.com.
It was perhaps no surprise given those comments that he was visibly frustrated at being withdrawn from the action on 66 minutes, making way for the recently impressive Adam Lallana. It was the second game in succession Chamberlain had been hooked, having seen his number come up away at Tottenham Hotspur in the 61st minute.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's game by numbers vs. Man Utd:
92% pass accuracy
47 touches
8 recoveries
7 tackle attempted
5 tackles made
4 crosses
2 take-ons completed
2 shotsThe most tackles made on the pitch. pic.twitter.com/RA36o7UvTj
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 19, 2020
For a man who so clearly wants to make the most of his career – it seems certain he moved to Liverpool because he felt Jurgen Klopp would improve him – it was an emotional trip hazard that momentarily got the better of him, his feelings spilling out as he slammed the seat in front of him once he had taken his place on the bench.
A deeper dive into his contributions so far this season offers evidence of perhaps why it’s a trying time for the England international, capped 35 times and with seven goals to his name for his country. Because, as Liverpool break a new record seemingly every week, and the wins continue to be clocked up toward what will surely be title number 19, Chamberlain is still yet to complete a full 90 minutes in the Premier League for the Reds this season.
Appearing in 14 of the 23 games played in the league sounds good on the surface, yet the former Southampton player has only twice gone beyond the 85-minute mark after starting the match, against his former club at St Mary’s in August and at Bournemouth in December. An ankle injury at the end of December further added to his woes, forcing him to miss games against Leicester, Wolves and Sheffield United.
In the Premier League then, it’s just 32 per cent played of the minutes clocked up by Liverpool this season. Across all competitions this season that figure rises to 46 per cent of the potential minutes played in his 24 appearances and five goals scored this season.
Chamberlain, though, will be desperate to be a regular – a first choice, a Jurgen Klopp go-to. And it likely chips away at his ego and pride when that isn’t the case. This is no slight on the man. Lesser players would have struggled to have made the impact he has this season after the best part of a full campaign spent recovering from a cruciate ligament rupture.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has seemed annoyed and frustrated at being subbed recently. But Klopp says he's not at all.
"He's in good shape, and he's not frustrated – I asked him! He got a knock (v Man U) and if a midfielder is limping, you have to make a decision." #LFC
— David Maddock (@MaddockMirror) January 22, 2020
It will have hurt to watch on from the bench as Liverpool lifted European Cup number six in the summer. And now, having come so far, Chamberlain is surely desperate to play a key part in winning the silverware that is looming large at the end of this season. On purchasing the player, Klopp spoke of Oxlade-Chamberlain as a "positive" player who is "willing to take risks" and "has the mentality and desire to get even better".
It hasn’t gone quite as planned but those traits have been on show by the bucketload, while the manager’s faith in the player was demonstrated with a new four-year contract in August.
Klopp shrugged off Chamberlain’s bench-bashing in his latest press conference, and despite that moment, and despite his frustrations, there seems little to make a story of – his future is tied up, his form and fitness will likely continue to improve. And, with Liverpool still fighting on three fronts for silverware, there will be plenty of time to clock up more minutes. Any doubts about the player’s wider state of mind were also kicked into the long grass this week, with Chamberlain again finding the right words at the right time.
Talking of Liverpool’s relentless winning ride that is now stretching into a second season, he said: “We're definitely hungry but we're nowhere near finished and we're not at the target we need to get to. We've got to stay hungry and keep pushing, then hopefully we get the results that we're after.”
Chamberlain, who demonstrates again that Liverpool seeks mental strength in players these days as much as skill on the ball, will know that applies to him as much as the team. With Fabinho back fit, Naby Keita and James Milner to return, Lallana in form and the seemingly every-ready Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum continuing to churn consistent class, earning a regular slot in midfield is not going to be easy.
But making it as a professional isn’t easy. Hitting consistent levels isn’t easy. And the dark days of a year on the sidelines injured are definitely not easy. Chamberlain’s time will come. Because he will make it so like he has so many times before.
