As the important winter period approaches Alexis Sanchez has taken most of the plaudits during the Gunners' indifferent start. But as a young Englishman made his 100th appearance for Arsenal on Wednesday evening, it should not be overlooked the considerable contribution Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is now bringing to Arsene Wenger's side.
Another of the crop of youngsters to come out of St Mary's, 'The Ox' arrived at The Emirates from Southampton in August 2011, after an impressive season securing promotion for the Saints from League One. His fine first season for the Gunners saw him called into the England squad for the first time and play at Euro 2012. Progression has steadily continued and it was telling that there was much disappointment after injury in the warm up games curtailed his World Cup participation last Summer. Additionally he missed large chunks of Arsenal's 2013/14 campaign through injury, so this season is now an opportunity for Oxlade-Chamberlain to take the next step in a plethora of attacking options at the Emirates.
He has appeared in every competitive fixture Arsenal have played so far this season and is perhaps seeing the benefits of others injuries, as he starts to consistently lock down a place in the Gunners starting eleven. Playing opposite sides to the lauded Chilean Alexis Sanchez, it has been easy to overlook the Ox's performances, however the Englishman has also shown a tenacity to his game like Alexis, as well as an eagerness to do his defensive duties.
One area in which Oxlade-Chamberlain has out shone his Chilean counterpart this season is with possession of the ball. The Ox records better pass completion, successful take-ons, total duels and possession score statistics this campaign. He is building a comfortable partnership with Calum Chambers down the Gunners' right hand side and with Arsenal's continued weakness in being caught defensively due to offensive turnovers, it bodes well for Chamberlain that he can be trusted to keep the ball in the final third, even over the world class displays of Alexis Sanchez. Opposingly though, the Chilean has found the net and assisted on numerous occasions this season and this will be a statistic Oxlade will undoubtedly want to improve on, having scored only 11 goals in four seasons now in the colours of Arsenal.
Arsene Wenger holds a large amount of trust in Alex and this week paid tribute to the Englishman's progression;
“I like the way he is taking responsibility,” Wenger said. “He is knowledgeable about the team organisation and he is keen to do his job without losing his individual contribution. He doesn’t lose his quality with it.
“I’m very pleased with the way he is developing as a player. I have said it many times to my staff recently. He is becoming mature, responsible and still has initiative in the game.“Alex is now at an age where he is ahead, because he already has 20 caps for England. That shows that the players that come here at a young age develop well. They get a chance to play with good players who improve their game a lot.
“I like Alex’s spirit as well. He has a good balance. His feet are on the ground and he accepts advice to improve. He is sociable and a good friend to the guys in the team.”
With Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud and Mesut Ozil all still to return for the Gunners, Oxlade-Chamberlain will have a battle on to keep his place in the starting lineup. However if he continues to display impressive performance this campaign, alongside impressing for his country, this could well be a year the Arsenal faithful are calling for his start and are able to enjoy a fruitful partnership alongside Alexis Sanchez.