Whether it came from the first two letters of his surname or his physical tenacity and powerful playing style, the player we have come to know as ‘The OX’ has become one of those players we all love to see perform, despite his tender age of just 19.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has become somewhat of a fringe player at Arsenal despite being a first-team regular for his national side, a trend he carried on from his Under-21 days.
The strong winger has made 19 appearances for us so far in the Premier League this season but the majority have been coming off from the bench.
Chamberlain is a brilliant player and definitely one for the future, no doubt about it. From the moment he was purchased from Southampton to his displays in his first season at Arsenal it was clear for all to see he has the talent.
But it seems he has really struggled to show the form he produced in the previous campaign, but he has shown some signs of a revival which brings the question – should he be given more of a chance to showcase his ability in the starting line-up over the next few weeks?
Well I think he does deserve a shot, why not?
He has looked good when he has featured, and with Theo Walcott seemingly losing his pre-contract signing form, it would be a good time to rest him and give The Ox a run in the side. He is just as fast as Theo, is better on the ball and, in my opinion, his decision-making is far superior. He’s a bit shy in the goal department, unlike his fellow countryman, but he could bring in a few more assists with his ability to move in and around the opposition’s 18-yard box.
The majority would say that now is not the time to experiment. But letting The Ox play should be seen more as a chance to let Theo rest and recharge his batteries. Chamberlain is a very good player and can cope with pressure. So why not give him a chance to show what he can do from now until the end of the season.
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Said this all along, the Ox on the wing, Gervinho on the wing, and Podolski as central striker. When does AW believe stats. Poldi is a world class finisher, miles above TW and Giroud. Why isn’t he played where he is deadly ? Both the Ox and Gervinho have no problem to go taking on even a couple of defenders, coming from the wings. Then with Cazorla and Wilshere in attacking position in the middle, they will rip teams apart, no matter who.
The question with Podolski is his movement. He is apparently considered a bit lazy in Germany, and you can see why at times. The great thing about him, though, is that he has a brilliant left foot and sometimes he can score or create a goal from nothing without really playing that well throughout the match. I’m happy with him on the left wing, and could see him playing well in a front 2, but I wouldn’t expect him to come in and be consistently better than Giroud or even Walcott if played through the middle. Of course I could be wrong and he could at least be a useful option, which I suppose is worth exploring, but let’s not create another myth (as people did with Arshavin) that Podolski’s best position is through the middle when he made his name for Germany playing on the left wing and linking well with Klose.
As with all these kind of articles you slip in “his decision-making is far superior” to the text, so that it is almost hidden.
But that is very debateable. Coming on and putting an already beaten Reading side to the sword, does not indicate a readiness for full games.
Ox will get his chance, but right now Walcott has more experience, and his passing, finishing and movement off the ball is superior in my opinion, Wenger has made the correct decisions.
scezny/sagna kosc verma gibbs/ arteta/ wilshere cazorla/ rosicky or gervniho ( left) / OXLADE ( right)/ Podolski, up front
Merte is way too slow and pod is very good, don t know why wenger isn t playing him, and cazorla s influence is much greater in the centre
Arsenal have the best wingers in the PL with the likes of theo,givinho,ox,watt,gnabry,myachi.watching these guys is fun. Its just tha arsene always selects the wrong squad. to me the ox is suppose to play every game in this squad:ansky,par,kos/verm carl/sagna,gibbs/monreal ,arteta,sicky,santi,jack,ox,poldi/oliver.
The problem with starting “The Ox”, Gervinho and even Cazorla on the wing is that they are terrible defensively.
Cazorla puts in the effort, but, at his size, gets out-muscled too often. That’s okay in the middle of the pitch where there are more defenders to help out, but dangerous on the wing where it can leave the fullback exposed in a 2-on-1 situation.
“The Ox” also puts in the effort as well and has the potential to be a real asset in his own end, but, at this point, frequently shows that he doesn’t yet know where to go or what to do in the defensive end. In this, his inexperience shows and can create offensive chances for the opposition that a more experienced winger would nip in the bud. That’s why you’ve seen Ramsey sub for Walcott on the wing late in close matches rather than “The Ox” (Walcott has improved tremendously in his defensive play, but, like Cazorla, lacks the size to be consistently effective against bigger opponents on the wing.) “The Ox” has improved a lot in this area from last season, but he still has a way to go before he can be trusted to be the two-way player that Arsenal need on the wing against opponents that have the ability to score on outside-in moves.
Gervinho is helpless defensively. While Podolski and Cazorla occasionally will slowly jog back to their own end instead of running back to assume their defensive responsibilities, Gervinho can seldom be found joining his compatriots back in his own end unless the pressure from the opposition on his side becomes dire–at which point he will almost reluctantly get involved.
While Arsenal can occasionally afford to allow clubs that are incompetent offensively to have a manpower advantage in the Arsenal end, Arsenal can’t afford to make defensive mistakes or consistently give the opposition a manpower advantage when playing teams that have sufficient offensive power to make them pay for doing so. At this point, the Arsenal back four have enough on their hands just trying to thwart most opponents when they are matched up on equal terms and often they need all the help from the midfielders and wingers that they can get. If you ask them to hold up for 90+ minutes at a disadvantage because “The Ox” doesn’t know where he should be or what his role is in the defensive end or because Cazorla just got bowled over and dispossessed by the opponents’ fullback who is breaking forward with their winger, or because Gervinho has decided that he doesn’t need to bother getting back to help out Arsenal’s fullback, ultimately the back four will crack and Arsenal will pay a heavy price on the scoreboard.
At this stage of what looks to be a tight run in, Arsenal can only afford to use “The Ox” and Gervinho in certain situations against only some opponents because what they give the club offensively is not yet offset by what they aren’t able to give defensively and Arsenal simply can’t afford to give up scoring chances that could cost the team in the table. Cazorla’s offensive creativity does offset his defensive liabilities, especially when he plays more centrally where those liabilities are lessened.
“The Ox” is showing much better form, particularly in his passing, but also in his shooting, than earlier in the season. He doesn’t quite have the speed of Walcott, so he still needs to add another move to allow him to be more consistent in pushing the ball up the flank. But, considering the improvements that he has made overall since last season, you can see that that is coming–soon. Still, the consistency and defensive play are not yet where they need to be to trust him in every match in the situation that the club is in right now. He can–and I suspect will–be used in certain situations, but he still must be used judiciously at the moment. His time is coming and will come–and I think quite soon. But, with every point in the table being precious, this is not the time simply because the club can’t afford to take chances that could cost points–any points.
I think we have learnt from players like Wilshere and Walcott not to overplay young players. 25 games this season mean he has had playing time without stressing his maturing muscles = less injuries.
actually he has started the majority (11) of his 19 premiership games
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/shared/bsp/hi/football/statistics/players/o/oxlade-chamberlain_445606.stm