Klopp goes on attack over Gunners’ use of Oxlade-Chamberlain
JURGEN Klopp believes Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s goalscoring threat has improved at Liverpool after being largely ignored by Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger.
The England international is in line to face his former club at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow having slowly but surely started to reinvigorate his career on Merseyside following a £35 million move in August.
Oxlade-Chamberlain managed just 20 goals in 198 appearances in all competitions during six years with Arsenal.
It is an area Klopp felt the 24-year-old could improve and Liverpool’s coaching staff have worked hard with him in training.
The fruits are yet to be fully felt, with Oxlade-Chamberlain having netted two goals in 20 appearances, but he has looked distinctly more confident in his attacking play.
“I think the biggest improvement and potential [with Oxlade-Chamberlain] is being involved in goalscoring situations,” manager Klopp explained. “It is unbelievable but he was not asked for this too much in the past.
“If you watch Arsenal in the past, their two decisive players were Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez. Here, we put it on more shoulders, much more shoulders. If he is on the pitch he needs to be involved in these situations.”
Klopp has not given OxladeChamberlain any goal targets but believes the player’s attributes are such that he will inevitably bolster his tally.
“For all the qualities he has, his goalscoring record can improve,” the German added. “It’s not that I can give him a number and say he has to score 15 times a season.
“He has the obvious skills – shooting, both feet, speed. Where’s the limit? I don’t know. It’s something we know he will be better at in the future. That’s why I said players always can improve and that’s the obvious thing where Oxlade can improve.
“It’s not a criticism and if it were, I would have told him already. It’s just obvious potential which is there and we will work on it.
“His main skills are offensive,
that’s true. He is such an athlete and he is still a young player. It’s unbelievable but he has 10 or 12 years yet to come in his career.”
Meanwhile, Klopp insists Brazil playmaker Philippe Coutinho and Germany midfielder Emre Can have not shown signs their minds are elsewhere ahead of the transfer window opening.
Coutinho has long been linked with Barcelona and reports in Spain indicate the Catalan club will test Liverpool’s resolve again in January.
Can is out of contract at the end of the season and is free to talk to clubs next month. Juventus are understood to be keen to sign him.
“Neither Emre nor Phil gave me one second the impression that they are not interested in what we are doing here,” Klopp said. “And that is all I care about until the moment we have to make a decision. That’s all. So far, these two did really well.
“They are completely in the team and they will be until it is not like this any more, and when this will be I have no clue.
“As long as nobody comes to me and says he’s gone or has signed a new contract. It’s all about the behaviour of the players. I work with them all day.
“If we want to sell a player we don’t go every day to him and tell him. We want to keep him in best shape until the day, and when the situation is there we will tell him. So, day by day, it has no inf luence as long as the players are fine.” (© Daily Telegraph, London)