Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will shortly be making his return after his recovery from a serious knee injury moved ahead of schedule.
After hurting his knee in a Champions League clash against Roma was thought to leave him on the sidelines for the entire season, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has announced that we may see his return earlier than expected.
Pencilled in to return to training next month, the midfielder will be coming back to an in-form Liverpool side, currently sitting four points clear at the top of the table. So what can Oxlade-Chamberlain bring to Klopp’s high-flying Reds?
1. He can bring goals
Liverpool have a strong midfield who probably don’t score as many goals as they should. The attacking line of Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané have provided 40 goals so far this season. The rest of the squad combined have produced only 23.
Although Oxlade-Chamberlain isn’t the most prolific goalscorer, he was directly involved in 10 league goals during his first season with the Reds, scoring three. He netted five times across all competitions.
During Liverpool’s thrilling 4-3 victory over City in January last year, Oxlade-Chamberlain grabbed the opener, his third league goal of the season. That was already more than he had managed during any Premier League campaign spent at Arsenal.
2. He will help others score too
It’s not only the goals that he can score himself that will help his side. Oxlade-Chamberlain was also keen on setting them up. The England international provided nine assists in all competitions last season, just below James Milner and Philippe Coutinho in midfield. He also set up seven goals in 29 league matches during Arsenal’s 2016/17 campaign.
With 82% of his passes finding their target, he’s not shy of making sure they’re important passes either. Since finding his feet and establishing himself under Klopp, the midfielder had become an important creative asset before he was sidelined.
3. Creativity from the middle of the park
Granted, it took the Englishman time to settle at Anfield, but his contributions to Liverpool’s success were marked. Averaging 2.06 chances created per 90 minutes, he ensured that his side were always in a position to cause their opponent’s trouble.
With 34 league chances created overall, Oxlade-Chamberlain proved to be a vital component in Klopp’s attack.
4. Not afraid to run with the ball
With his pace and willingness to drive forward with the ball, Oxlade-Chamberlain has found success advancing play with the ball at his feet.
Producing 2.4 successful dribbles out of 3.3, per 90 league minutes, a success rate of 73% might not look incredible, especially when he gives the ball away 3.8 times in the same timeframe. But his role is not to provide the same stability in the centre as a player like Fabinho.
Rather, Klopp will expect Oxlade-Chamberlain to provide the spark and galvanise the midfield into more action, similar to his Borussia Dortmund side.
5. A part of the press
Klopp’s footballing strategy and tactics are built around high-intensity pressing and counter-pressing. As a pioneer of gegenpressing, Klopp expects his players to be well-drilled in the requirements of winning the ball back.
Although Oxlade-Chamberlain’s tackling statistics dropped a little from his time at Arsenal, from 2.15 completed tackles per 90 minutes to 1.6 at Liverpool, his interceptions took a leap.
Intercepting the ball on average 0.7 times per game at Arsenal, it shot up to 1.7 under Klopp, testament to the efficacy of the press and his part in it.
6. They win more when he’s on the field
It might be an intangible quality that Oxlade-Chamberlain has or maybe it’s just coincidence. Certainly, his ability to connect with teammates has been shown on numerous occasions.
One particular incident, when teammate Philippe Coutinho was asked by an interviewer about his future at the club, saw the player step in and divert the attention, looking out for his teammate who struggled to find the words in English.
In matches he has played for his side, they won 71.4% of them compared to only 47.6% when he wasn’t playing. These statistics bode well for Klopp upon his eventual return.
The post The numbers behind Liverpool’s potential Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain boost appeared first on Squawka News.
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