Topic: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

[Lastrador]

he didn't do much wrong to be fair to him, kept the ball moving, made some penetrating runs but he should have fouled on their second goal, he was about to come off, take a damn yellow.

He didn’t much right either. Defensively he’s a non entity, didn’t create a thing, passing in the 70% as usual, and he has the worst shot selection. I just don’t see how people can say he had a good performance because he dribbled a couple of times.

[KirkVanHouten]

The problem I have with him in the side is that he seems to be a really poor passer of the ball. He seems to misplace fairly simple short passes and is rarely able to return the ball in a 1-2. I mean he can do these things but it seems the rate of failure is far too high.

[Vinay]

This dude is done at Liverpool now.

[Fordy]

This dude is done at Liverpool now.

He was miles better than Hendo and Fab today.

[Lastrador]

He was miles better than Hendo and Fab today.

This is almost a confirmation that he wasn’t.

[Armand9]

oh ox, i dont know, injury problems has curtailed his game time, he hasn't had a long run in the side you'd want to see to know for sure whether he has it or not, and you know he has talent, but he just doesn't do enough often enough seems to be where we are with it

keita is another one but you see his recent form this season and you really get to see what he can do against utd (terrible team, granted) and you can at least feel if he can stave off injuries (a huge question mark and im not convinced cos of that with keita either) there's a player there worth persevering with

i think im there with ox, i dont see enough out of him to not think we could do better by moving him on and replacing him with someone not injury prone and more consistent in performaces

in a game like today where the star performers aren't hitting the heights you need one of your 'lesser' players to pop up with a goal, or game changing play, with ox that is way too rare an occurence

i know the lad tries and wants it bad but im out now

[lukeb1981]

He didn’t much right either. Defensively he’s a non entity, didn’t create a thing, passing in the 70% as usual, and he has the worst shot selection. I just don’t see how people can say he had a good performance because he dribbled a couple of times.

Dribbled then lost the ball with an easy pass that was misplaced was the common theme with him today, his desire to stay with his man and throw in a last ditch tackle on their second goal was a joke as soon as he was passed he just stopped running

[lgvkarlos]

Didn't like him laughing and joking with Rice at full time, just lost our unbeaten record FFS.
Rest of his team and us livid and he's pissing around, kind of shit you see from the likes of Pogba.

[mrantarctica]

This dude is done at Liverpool now.

I'm not sure I'd be as knee-jerk about it as that. We've seen many players be written off and make spectacular comebacks. That being said, I do agree that Ox did not do himself any favours at all with a pretty tame performance.

Sadly, he's just well well off the pace. Sometimes I think that he hasn't played much and that his opportunities to start are so limited are such that he's completely out of sync with what the team is actually doing. Hopefully it's just like a dodgy bluetooth thing where it just takes a bit of time to connect but at the moment he's looking like a player we don't need at all.

[Sharado]

Didn't like him laughing and joking with Rice at full time, just lost our unbeaten record FFS.
Rest of his team and us livid and he's pissing around, kind of shit you see from the likes of Pogba.

Yeah especially after dropping a 4/10.

[number 168]

Didn't like him laughing and joking with Rice at full time, just lost our unbeaten record FFS.
Rest of his team and us livid and he's pissing around, kind of shit you see from the likes of Pogba.

That was not a good look. He needs to save that for after the game and not on the pitch, you would almost think he wasn't that bothered. Given that he didn't cover himself in glory you would think he would have at least been annoyed with his own performance.

[hide5seek]

In the summer he needs to take his always injured or coming back from injury decked body to another club.

[Eeyore]

Thought he looked decent today. His change of pace through the middle adds an extra dimension to our play.

[jooneyisdagod]

Ox was fine today. Probably the best of our midfield 3.  Made some good runs and his passing was better. He was one of the least at fault for me today.

Agree. It doesn't help that both Fabinho and Hendo were incredibly slow in the tempo of their passing. Say what you will about Ox but he doesn't mind taking on a man and letting a shot off. But doing that needs some level of tempo and our passing in midfield was just too slow to make that happen.

[mrantarctica]

Agree. It doesn't help that both Fabinho and Hendo were incredibly slow in the tempo of their passing. Say what you will about Ox but he doesn't mind taking on a man and letting a shot off. But doing that needs some level of tempo and our passing in midfield was just too slow to make that happen.

I don't disagree with you here mate but I think that's where Ox isn't a top player. I think his actions are good in isolation and when he pulls it off it makes for good viewing on a showcase reel of his highlights on Youtube. In terms of the team, I think his decision making is poor and we end up sacrificing compactness and shape for that 'extra dimension' which at the moment is generally causing us problems in defence and vulnerability to counterattack rather than providing scoring chances. That being said, both Fab and Hendo were equally guilty of tactically poor 2nd half's in this game also. I think JK even alluded to that in his post-match indicating that our decisions were off in the 2nd half and we ended up giving the ball away in bad positions and that cost us. West Ham, to their credit, Pawson notwithstanding, were clinical and took their chances. At the opposite end, Origi aside, we probably didn't. 

[Smudge]

Garbage. Get rid.

Told you. Post game laughs with Rice too. He should never kick a ball for us again.

[killer-heels]

Told you. Post game laughs with Rice too. He should never kick a ball for us again.

Odd to dig him out after that. Salah, Van Dijk and pretty much every player is seen laughing and jovially talking to other players after the game regardless of whether we have won, drawn or lost.

[newterp]

Should have flipped - had Thiago start and ox sub if needed.

[LallanaInPyjamas]

I'm not sure I'd be as knee-jerk about it as that. We've seen many players be written off and make spectacular comebacks. That being said, I do agree that Ox did not do himself any favours at all with a pretty tame performance.

Sadly, he's just well well off the pace. Sometimes I think that he hasn't played much and that his opportunities to start are so limited are such that he's completely out of sync with what the team is actually doing. Hopefully it's just like a dodgy bluetooth thing where it just takes a bit of time to connect but at the moment he's looking like a player we don't need at all.

He's done little of note for three and a half years - I don't think it's knee jerk at all to suggest he's incredibly lucky to be here and I say that as someone who has defended him in the past.

[El Lobo]

He's done little of note for three and a half years - I don't think it's knee jerk at all to suggest he's incredibly lucky to be here and I say that as someone who has defended him in the past.

Not knee-jerk, just daft.

As with any other players, you take the risks when you give a player a contract. He's not lucky at all, if anything he's unlucky that he's in this position. Just like Sturridge wasn't lucky to be here, or Lallana, or Naby. They're just good players we signed who it has eventually gone badly for due to injuries. It doesn't help anyone to be laying into players like that. People always seem to take it personally when someone like Ox, or the others I've mentioned, get injured or don't play well. He's trying as hard as anyone, you can see it when he plays, and if we're not getting offers for him to move then thats really all we can expect and he deserves credit for that even if its not quite at the standard we'd want him to be at.

[The G in Gerrard]

Told you. Post game laughs with Rice too. He should never kick a ball for us again.

This is fishing?

[mrantarctica]

He's done little of note for three and a half years - I don't think it's knee jerk at all to suggest he's incredibly lucky to be here and I say that as someone who has defended him in the past.

I think the reason he's done little of note is because of injuries. I think he's been unlucky while he's been here because no-one tries to pick up injuries and they don't usually come about through a lack of skill. Had he not got injured all this time and just been poor then absolutely we could say he is just lucky. You could say the same about numerous players who have had their time at LFC complicated by injuries including, ironically, your pseudonym-sake; Lallana.

That being said, even bad luck doesn't stop any player from coming under scrutiny over what they are bringing to the team and Ox is no different. He's had a period of fitness now and he's also starting to get opportunities and the output, I definitely agree here, has been very disappointing.

[LallanaInPyjamas]

I think the reason he's done little of note is because of injuries. I think he's been unlucky while he's been here because no-one tries to pick up injuries and they don't usually come about through a lack of skill. Had he not got injured all this time and just been poor then absolutely we could say he is just lucky. You could say the same about numerous players who have had their time at LFC complicated by injuries including, ironically, your pseudonym-sake; Lallana.

That being said, even bad luck doesn't stop any player from coming under scrutiny over what they are bringing to the team and Ox is no different. He's had a period of fitness now and he's also starting to get opportunities and the output, I definitely agree here, has been very disappointing.

I'm not sure it's only down to injury. He's been fit for the best part of a year now yet is rarely picked. That suggests the manager doesn't fancy him. Injuries have undoubtedly made him worse as a footballer, but I also think our style has moved away from his and he has struggled to adapt.

[vivabobbygraham]

The International break cmes at a perfect time for the Ox. Good recovery. Come back even stronger. He's nearly there. Got to stay healthy. We are going to need him at the top of his game if we wanna win big stuff. Not just him neither

[RyanBabel19]

Actually think he's been playing well recently. Some mistakes like most of the side but for the most part he's positive, looking to drive forward, break the opposition lines, showing for the ball often and getting back defensively too.

[blamski]

Where's the love for the Ox today? I thought he was excellent. Broke up loads of Arsenal 'attacks', pressed like a maniac, and looked dangerous going forward. A classic Ox performance of the kind we love.

[Coolie High]

He was good, especially defensively both in tracking runs and pressing their players.

[JC the Messiah]

Was excellent today. Was the difference to get us on top.

[RedSince86]

Fantastic game from him, seemed well up for it today.

[farawayred]

He was good, especially defensively both in tracking runs and pressing their players.

I too was impressed by his defensive game today. He was OK offensively too, except for not passing that once when he tried to score. Good game from Chambo overall, better than his previous outings. He seems to be right when he said that he needs to play day in and day out to perform better, and (sadly) our injuries would allow for that.

[WhereAngelsPlay]

One of his best games for us.

[Max_powers]

Excellent going forward today but also defensively. Made some key interceptions in midfield and in our box.

[Persephone]

Best game of his in a long while. That block he made on Sako's effort in the first few minutes was key. He ran hard and tackled with intensity, and you could see he was well up for it tonight.

[Drinks Sangria]

I’m surprised to see so little bumps of the thread - Ox was excellent today. Pressed relentlessly, shackled Smith-Rowe and pushed Arsenal’s midfield deeper than they wanted to operate. He defended well too.

Very good game, felt like he wound the clock back to 2018. He deserves a lot of praise today and hopefully this sets him up to perform like this moving forward.

[PoetryInMotion]

He was really good today

[Keith Lard]

Great game from the Ox today ... he needed that! Should give him a ton of confidence moving forward

[Red Beret]

He is a great player, buggered by injuries. Here's hoping he can stay fit, as we'll bloody need him.

[howes hound]

Would be nice to hear from all those who piled on him back on Nov 7. It's taken a while for him to get up to speed, not surprisingly given the seriousness of his injury, but I'm convinced he's still got plenty to offer this team

[the_red_pill]

Fantastic game from him, seemed well up for it today.

Yeah he's stepped up a gear recently. He's getting back to full match fitness and rhythm.

[richmiller1]

Fantastic today in almost every facet of his game. He's something else physically when genuinely fit.