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da bet vitoria： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain faces a major season at Liverpool.
The former Arsenal man has made a total of 44 appearances for the Reds since his move from the Gunners but just two of those came in 2018/19.
Indeed, the England international has been beset by bad luck since his move to Anfield and sustained a cruciate ligament rupture against Roma in April 2018.
He subsequently missed the run-in, the World Cup, and only returned to action in April of 2019, playing 17 minutes in a 5-0 thumping of Huddersfield Town.
He then played two minutes against Wolves on the final day of the Premier League season and was on the bench for the Champions League final; after being injured for the defeat to Real Madrid in 2017/18, he did not play a single minute as Tottenham Hotspur were vanquished in Madrid.
Now, then, comes the acid test.
Oxlade-Chamberlain is back to full fitness and is training with the Reds in the United States as they prepare for another season where they will surely aim to win their first Premier League title, and defend their Champions League crown.
Squad depth was an issue last season, with only Divock Origi really making an impact from the bench in the latter half of the season after Xherdan Shaqiri’s form tailed off.
Oxlade-Chamberlain, though, is an intriguing option for Jurgen Klopp.
While he is often deployed as a central midfielder, prior to his injury in 2017/18 he played on both flanks, while also featuring in the No.10 role. He’s featured frequently as a winger throughout his career too.
That kind of versatility is vital to a team who will need to compete on a minimum of two fronts. One expects they will probably want to win the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup too and to do that, Klopp will have to call on his reserves.
And Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are the players who need understudies most. The missed just two Premier League games combined last season but have taken part in AFCON this summer and may well become jaded throughout the campaign.
Considering how crucial goals from the flanks are in Klopp’s system, both players finishing the campaign as joint Golden Boot winners, Liverpool need dynamic alternatives out there – but they’re unlikely to come from the transfer market.
Per Understat, in 2017/18, Oxlade-Chamberlain scored three goals in the Premier League and laid on seven assists.
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Having been deployed in multiple roles, his stats are enlightening. He averaged 2.34 shots-per-90 and 2.03 key-passes-per-90, which is a pass leading to a shot.
His expected goals (xG) statistic was 2.4, which he outperformed, suggesting he scored at least one goal from a position where he was not expected to. His expected assist (xA) rate was 4.4, suggesting at a clinical edge from his team-mates.
He tries shots from everywhere, too, scoring one from inside the six-yard box, one from in the penalty area and one from the edge of the box. The latter had an xG of 0.02. If Oxlade-Chamberlain can sustain that potency when playing on the flanks, he could prove to be the backup Mane and Salah truly need.
Oxlade-Chamberlain is a versatile option and must be utilised by Klopp next season as the club look to enjoy another impressive season.If he can stay injury-free, fill gaps out wide and add electricity to the midfield when required, he could have a massive impact in 2019/20.