Topic: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

[So… Howard Philips]

I don’t think so myself.

It’s so great that he could be back soon, but it will take some time before he’s back to starting games, and even longer to be at full throttle.  This end of the season could well see him have th elerfect lead in to next season so he can hit the ground running though...

And we need to remember that anyone returning from a long absence is likely to suffer a series of minor injuries.

[Redcap]

I would be surprised if he was back to peak performance this season. It's going to take time and that's okay.

[newterp]

He was amazing last season, we’ve missed him (while still being brilliant). Just a massive boost for everyone to see him play thus season, remind us what he’s about.

He was amazing - once he acclimated.

And that’s why people are asking for patience for Keita (looking at the latest comment in that thread)

[Ghost Town]

Hard not to get excited with all the noises coming out of the club.

Pervert!

[Peabee]

I would be surprised if he was back to peak performance this season. It's going to take time and that's okay.

Yeah, there’s no chance of that. An early return to training plus a full preseason will mean his performance level and match fitness will return earlier next season than if he’d missed the whole of this season.

[PhilV]

Yeah, there’s no chance of that. An early return to training plus a full preseason will mean his performance level and match fitness will return earlier next season than if he’d missed the whole of this season.

This.

It will be good to have him back this season but he won't be 100% like he was pre-injury.

The good news is that hopefully no recurrence and he can get few games this season and then a full pre-season ready for 2019/2020 season, it will be another strong player for us, very positive news.

[Linudden]

We'll see. He might be able to make cameo appearances in March if all goes well.

[Red_19]

He’s going to be like a new signing when he’s back. Walks into our midfield

[jillc]

Klopp said today he is no longer technically injured anymore. But he then said he won't be rushed back as he obviously is not match fit and so needs to work on that. But having him in and around the squad will be great and with a bit of luck, maybe a couple subsitute performances at the end of the season.

[AmanShah21]

Excited to see him come back. I do feel that some of us have really exaggerated him over his absence though. Excellent lad who was absolutely killing it around the time he got injured but he was in a different system playing at a different tempo. He'll need to adapt again. I just know that if he takes a while to get back to it, there will be people writing him off as "not the same since the injury". I have no expectations from Ox this season. Anything he contributes is a bonus.

[the_red_pill]

Felt so bad for him that he couldn't be "part" of this season on the pitch...
Feel great for the lad's sake. A genuine person and player!

[Linudden]

He’s going to be like a new signing when he’s back. Walks into our midfield

Depends on whether his pace and stamina remains the same. Different players come back in varying shapes after a cruciate injury. Some, you hardly see it and they're immediately back up and running, while others drop down a peg or two. He's still 25, which is a good thing in that regard, but no football for nine months could have impacts also in terms of reading the game et cetera. When he'll be good enough in training, he'll be picked. Either way, he's of great re-sale value still as an Englishman of his age and with that CV so even if it wouldn't go as well as we all hope, we'd still be able to cash in 30 million or more for him from the likes of Palace or West Ham. I'm being told his mother club also has a few quid left from selling a certain Dutchman a year ago as well? Let's hope he'll be the same as he was last spring though 

[El Lobo]

Depends on whether his pace and stamina remains the same. Different players come back in varying shapes after a cruciate injury. Some, you hardly see it and they're immediately back up and running, while others drop down a peg or two. He's still 25, which is a good thing in that regard, but no football for nine months could have impacts also in terms of reading the game et cetera. When he'll be good enough in training, he'll be picked. Either way, he's of great re-sale value still as an Englishman of his age and with that CV so even if it wouldn't go as well as we all hope, we'd still be able to cash in 30 million or more for him from the likes of Palace or West Ham. I'm being told his mother club also has a few quid left from selling a certain Dutchman a year ago as well? Let's hope he'll be the same as he was last spring though 

[Linudden]

Eel Lobo//

I'd have no plans to even consider offers for Oxlade-Chamberlain until he gets a full season back. I meant a hypothetical scenario in which he didn't come back to his best but was still a functional footballer without serious long-term effects. So, all in all just a statement that if a player is unable to get back to the level he previously was at prior to a potentially pace-changing injury, he'll still be of good financial asset value to us? Just as Ings has been, even though the double ACL blow really hampered him after he came back.

Keep in mind that we didn't sign Fekir because of concerns about exactly what has befallen Alex, and if that made us pull out of a club record deal for a midfielder because of his previous knee injuries, then of course there can be valid concerns about a player already on the books and it's one to keep an eye on. A second torn ACL is sometimes a career-ending devastation and that was what the club passed up signing Fekir for.

I wish as much as you that he'll be the same player as he was, but we can never take that for granted. It still bugs me to think what a player Cissé would've been but for that legbreak of his  He never felt the same when he was back. Not to mention Kewell and the effects of his 04-05 injuries. During the autumn of 2003 he performed at Sadio's current level before that hell began. Lucas fell back from key player to merely rotational after his cruciate injury. We shouldn't have too high expectations on Ox, merely hope that he'll turn out to be one of those coming back seemlessly as if nothing happened. He was borderline XI/rotational at the time, so if he manages to become that way again, then we'll know he's done alright. Sadly, it may deprive him the chance to become a world-class midfielder if the physique has taken a toll. Oxlade-Chamberlain has always been one of those fast players and if he loses a bit of that, it might be difficult for him. Cruciate injuries are serious matters and it's important to:

a) Let everything fully be restored prior to gametime.
b) Make sure the player knows how he needs to play while building up the fitness again. Perhaps not taking that extra run, but rather focus on positioning in defence.

So it's me being realistic, but still hopeful, but at the same time knowing that either way it turns out, both Alex and Liverpool are looking good ahead. Let's hope he'll smash one in before The Kop before long and will be exactly like he was! He's at least got age on his side and the sports physiology has gotten a lot better lately, so hopefully any concerns are unfounded. We may disagree and if so, that's fine At least we should agree on that we'll see after summer where he truly stands.

[Nessy76]

Im guessing he heard something he might be available for the 2nd bayern match however if he in the squad at all for that match my guess is he would be on the bench.

Maybe he has, but I don't see any reason why the club would want to put something like that out in public this far ahead. If he's available then that would be great, but any setback and it's a wet fart where we didn't need to be doing a wet fart, and frankly nobody wants that.

[RedG13]

Maybe he has, but I don't see any reason why the club would want to put something like that out in public this far ahead. If he's available then that would be great, but any setback and it's a wet fart where we didn't need to be doing a wet fart, and frankly nobody wants that.

True. I do trust Klopp and the training staff to be cautious on OX recovery

[Gutzon Borglum]

I get that we need to be patient, and that he might never be the same player.. But I just have this feeling that his personality and style will enable him to be one of those rare exceptions where he comes back on fire and hits the ground running, Joe Gomez has shown that it's possible to return from a similar injury and not noticeably lose pace. I won't be disappointed in him if he needs some time, he showed enough last season to earn everyone's patience, but I also won't be surprised if he has a key role in the last couple months of the season.

[Ghost Town]

He’s going to be like a new signing when he’s back. Walks into our midfield

And then starts running it

[Ghost Town]

He's still 25,

But he'll be 40 in 15 years. Get rid!

[spider-neil]

Walks into our midfield

Walks? Is he still injured?

[kevlumley]

Not sure i can believe what im reading. Most are celebrating that Oxlade Chamberlain has made so much work in his rehabilitation from an awful injury, which happened in a period where we were absolutely flying as a football team. This lad has some how worked with the medical and physio team to get to a point where he is now training and improving. Very determined person. Yet someone is talking about selling him and his resale value to clubs like Palace or West Ham. I mean talk about gratitude.

[Red Beret]

Klopp held back the news of how bad Ox's injury was for good reasons; they wanted to be sure of the severity and the layoff; wanted to protect Ox, and also the morale of the supporters (amongst other good reasons I'm sure).

Equally, Klopp would not have advised us of his remarkable progress if he wasn't confident of him making a solid contribution this season.  Jurgen seens a lot more of Ox in action and he'll know better than anyone what level he is at.

Plenty of players - top draw players - have recovered from serious injury.  Some, like Alan Shearer (I believe?) adapted their style because of injury and remained very effective players.

At worst, Ox becomes a slightly different kind of player.  At best he's as good as new.  At this point I cannot envisage a situation where he came back and the drop off in his performance was so poor we had to consider selling him.  Unless of course, Klopp is holding back again...

[El Lobo]

Not sure i can believe what im reading. Most are celebrating that Oxlade Chamberlain has made so much work in his rehabilitation from an awful injury, which happened in a period where we were absolutely flying as a football team. This lad has some how worked with the medical and physio team to get to a point where he is now training and improving. Very determined person. Yet someone is talking about selling him and his resale value to clubs like Palace or West Ham. I mean talk about gratitude.

He’s compared Keita to Aquilani in another thread, I wouldn’t pay too much attention 

[OOS]

He’s going to be like a new signing when he’s back. Walks into our midfield

Let's see him kick a ball first ...

[El Lobo]

Let's see him kick a ball first ...

Here you go bud

https://youtu.be/vFiqF_mc9FY

https://youtu.be/B_j4nq3pYOM

[Bjornar]

Good post.

[RyanBabel19]

Just watched his Bezzies video of him and Brewster, he's a character, he must be a laugh in the dressing room

[Fordy]

Just watched his Bezzies video of him and Brewster, he's a character, he must be a laugh in the dressing room

It will be great to have him back and Brewster involved.

It will give the team a massive boost to have them in 1st team training fully.

[GIPPO77]

Be good to have him ack in the squad, gives us another option attacking from midfield.

[Linudden]

Not sure i can believe what im reading. Most are celebrating that Oxlade Chamberlain has made so much work in his rehabilitation from an awful injury, which happened in a period where we were absolutely flying as a football team. This lad has some how worked with the medical and physio team to get to a point where he is now training and improving. Very determined person. Yet someone is talking about selling him and his resale value to clubs like Palace or West Ham. I mean talk about gratitude.

We will see how he's doing. What I meant to say was that it's a win-win for him and us as a club when he comes back, because we can recoup his value regardless of how it goes and if it works out and he's exactly the same player it'll be glorious and we have a player capable of starting in the big matches back on a "free". My concern is that he's been a lot about pace and physical presence and less about technique and reading the game and that's what makes me more concerned about him after such an injury than I would be for some of the other midfielders.

As for the Keïta/Aquilani compaison Eel Lobo roasted me for, I don't think it's too far-fetched really. Aquilani was a really good player for Roma, otherwise we'd not bought him, yet struggled to adapt to the Premier League, lost his confidence and never regained it at other clubs later. While Naby has a higher ceiling, he appears to be playing within himself also, which is the polar opposite to what Alex did last season, when he really took opponents on. Hopefully, Naby will be able to ride this tough period out. If just one of Alex and Naby get back to their levels of a year ago, then midfield creativity issues will be a lot better for sure.

Having said that, for previous cruciate injuries on midfielders here; after his injury Lucas came back to the 8th placed team in the league so walking back in was easier then. With the level of expectation being that much higher, we have to be realistic. This midfield has completely chewed someone like Adam Lallana up for example. The depth is immense, even though the raw talent is not the highest in the league. I hope that Alex will get some U23 gametime soon and we'll get a first glimpse to see what he's up to. The real test, however, will be after pre-season. Let's hope for the best. Joe Gomez had his injury hell while still a teen, but came back strongly. So, it's doable, but each body is different.

[Djimi Smicer34]

As for the Keïta/Aquilani compaison Eel Lobo roasted me for, I don't think it's too far-fetched really.

It really is.

[Bjornar]

It really is.

It´s not at all. Two proven class players who in their first season for us as  things stand didn´t come close to their previous level.

[DelTrotter]

It´s not at all. Two proven class players who in their first season for us as  things stand didn´t come close to their previous level.

Aquilani being "proven class" before he'd got here is pushing it. He'd started 27 league games in the previous 3 years when we signed him. It's a daft comparison. He may have had talent but he never really got on the pitch to show it, was a dumb signing (in shit circumstances).

[Djimi Smicer34]

It´s not at all. Two proven class players who in their first season for us as  things stand didn´t come close to their previous level.

Again, it really is.

Like, laughably so.  Aquilani was never cut out for this league and was not "proven class" by any means, Keita is and is just a better player in general.  And he hasn't been as bad this season as some here seem to like to make out.

[Sangria]

Again, it really is.

Like, laughably so.  Aquilani was never cut out for this league and was not "proven class" by any means, Keita is and is just a better player in general.  And he hasn't been as bad this season as some here seem to like to make out.

That waste of money doesn't like northern climates. He's played in other leagues since he left, so it's not just a case of homesickness, but every one of them is around the Mediterranean.

[El Lobo]

It really is.

It’s taken a rather odd turn hasn’t it! Talking about Ox’s sell on value and comparing Naby to Aquilani.....

[Djimi Smicer34]

It’s taken a rather odd turn hasn’t it! Talking about Ox’s sell on value and comparing Naby to Aquilani.....

Very, very odd.

[Bjornar]

Aquilani being "proven class" before he'd got here is pushing it. He'd started 27 league games in the previous 3 years when we signed him. It's a daft comparison. He may have had talent but he never really got on the pitch to show it, was a dumb signing (in shit circumstances).

We´ll see, and you could turn out to be right. But right now, to me it looks like people are pining for midfielders to have the sort of impact Van Dijk and Salah have had for us elsewhere on the pitch, and wanting Keita to the solution to the perceived problem that none of the current midfield starters offer that. When in reality what´s asked of the midfielders in our specific set-up is to be all-rounders who put out fires and offer a little bit of everything, so maybe at best what we can hope for are players who do that a bit better than what the current lot do.

So the opinions come from a perceived problem which isn´t really one, it´s just the way we play. But it leads for example to nit-picking about comparisons such as this one, when it was perfectly clear what was meant, even if the two situations aren´t exactly the same in every way. At the root of it IMO is a complete under-estimating of how good our current midfielders really are, in doing what´s asked from them in our set-up. Which leads to it being taken as digs to suggest Keita might not make it like Aquilani didn´t, or Oxlade-Chamberlain might not get back in the team, when the reason for that is just that those who now play are very effective despite their limitations.

[stockdam]

Hopefully he will come on during one or two games when we are 4 or 5 up just to get some match time. He's been away a long time and will take time to get back to full fitness. Hopefully he scores the goal that secures the title for us.

[kevlumley]

We will see how he's doing. ..

I think you get what i meant though. I don't want LFC to sell one of the best creative players in midfield when he is just coming back from a really bad injury. I want him to be an LFC player and win us things with the rest of the team. The money was invested in the player, not in resale value.

Lets get behind him.