Ox has X factor

ALEX TIME TO SHINE

JURGEN KLOPP insists Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is ready to shine for Liverpool.

Critics have already been claiming the £35m summer buy from Arsenal could be a flop, pointing to only one start since he arrived at Anfield and some indifferent displays.

Apart from a full game in the Carabao Cup defeat at Leicester, the midfielder has only played 86 minutes in six other appearances.

But Klopp believes the England international needed time to settle after signing on deadline day, but is now ready to show his true worth.

Oxlade-Chamberlain, 24, impressed after coming off the bench late on during the 0-0 draw with Manchester United on Saturday.

Happy

And he could get his chance tonight when Liverpool take on Maribor in their Champions League Group E clash.

“I cannot say how happy I was to see Chambo playing like this,” said Klopp.

“I said he needed a little bit of time and my most positive thing was that finally he has arrived, but it always takes time.

“Since Alex came he has been twice with the national team and there have been a lot of games with no training so his start has been interrupted.

“He is a big signing for us, obviously, but a fast player like him needs the circumstances to perform so he needed time.

“So far it has been okay but not what we know he is able to do. But then Saturday, bang – he comes on, uses his speed, really spot-on, it was a very nice sign. I loved to see it. I would say there has been no consistency until now.

“We let him run so far, let him do what he is naturally good at and it will take time but it’s all good. He is obviously powerful and that is what we need.”

When asked if this game would be a chance for him, Klopp would only say: “Each game can be an opportunity to show what you can do.”

While Oxlade-Chamberlain could be one change from the dull draw with United, Klopp insists there won’t be many more.

The Kop boss has told his side they need to make up lost ground in back-toback games against the Slovenian minnows after dropping points in draws against Sevilla and Spartak Moscow.

He added: “We know we play Maribor twice and we wasted points already. We know it is unbelievably important for us, so nobody should expect 11 changes.

“In the moment, actually, yes it is the key game because it is the only one we can play now.

“Now we have twice Maribor and know we know what we have to do – we have to get the points.

“It is clear, we have to win, we should not waste time. But also we play twice against Moscow or against Sevilla so we can win one game each.

“We want to go to the next round, we got a second draw in Moscow, but now it is only possible if we start collecting points.”