Arsenal have been hampered with a horrendous amount of injuries of late, with Francis Coquelin and Mikel Arteta being added to that list at the defeat to West Brom, but this weekend’s game against Norwich sees a return to fitness for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
With the boost of Aaron Ramsey’s return in mid-week, the return of the Ox is another important boost to the squad, particularly with what he can offer to the team.
Natural right winger
Whilst Ramsey often takes position out on the right, his future certainly lies in the middle, as can be seen by the fact that the middle of the park can sometimes get overrun, with Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Özil and Ramsey all moving freely across the pitch. With the Ox out on the right, he is constantly an option out on the right flank, staying wide and cutting in on the ball, as opposed to Ramsey moving inside off the ball, to create a different option.
The Ox on the right naturally provides Arsenal’s game with much more width, allowing the play to be stretched, inevitably creating more chances by creating more space on the pitch. Whilst Joel Campbell has tried to break into the side by filling that position, his impact has been minimal, to the point that he has been chosen behind left-back Kieran Gibbs and playing Alexis on the right, instead of playing Campbell. Ramsey frequently does an excellent job on the right but as he is himself coming back from injury, the Ox provides not only a different style but more depth on the right.
Pace, pace, pace
A second aspect of Oxlade-Chamberlain’s game that has been missing from the Arsenal side is directness, and his ability to run at and take on players. The Ox loves to run at players, ask them questions and put them on the back foot, which brings the rest of the team to life. Alexis was responsible for this against West Brom last week, and had it not been for him, very little would have been created. The Ox provides exactly that on the other side of the pitch.
Oxlade-Chamberlain is an excellent direct runner (photo: getty)
The Ox’s directness causes so many problems for his opponents, not only because he puts them on the back foot, but because he runs at them with his ferocious pace and strength, making him more than a handful for most players. His pace is undeniable and by playing him on the right with Hector Bellerin, one of the fastest players in the league, that right side creates many, many problems for opponents.
Whilst the Ox is having to push to break into the first team, he is being played behind Ramsey, he is still young and raw, by no means is the 22 year-old the finished article just yet, but he definitely provides a different style of play with plenty of scope in his game to develop and improve.
Either way, his return from injury will come as a huge boost for the Gunners, who will now hope to keep him fit for the remainder of the season.