Jurgen Klopp has suggested that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could start against Tottenham for Liverpool this Sunday.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has only played 14 minutes of football this season after a hamstring injury over the summer. But speaking via liverpoolfc.com after last night’s win over Napoli, Klopp said that the 29-year-old is now ‘ready’ to play.
“I thought Curtis did extremely well, to be honest – he did really well. We had Fabio [Carvalho] who can play there as well in the league maybe. [Alex] Oxlade[-Chamberlain] is now ready for the league as well, so we have a couple of players who can play there,” said the Liverpool manager.
“But no decision made, we will see what we will do against Tottenham, but it was never off the table this system, it was just that we had to change a little bit, to give ourselves a new impulse and to feel the defending stuff again in a new way. That’s sometimes how it works.
“We had good games in the other system, especially in the Champions League, where we played really well in a 4-4-2, for example. That’s the only positive thing that happened so far in the season, that we played and won in different systems. Not often enough, but at least a couple of times.”
Ox back in with a shout of regular minutes
Liverpool’s formation was, as ever, somewhat fluid last night. But for the most part, it looked as though Curtis Jones was operating on the left-wing.
This is a role which could be perfect for him in the new-look 4-4-2. Last night he showed exactly why that is the case. Although the 21-year-old struggled to get going a little, he grew into the game and was one of its more influential players.
But ultimately, it’s still very much a position that is up for grabs at Liverpool. Without the injured Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota, the Reds don’t have their first, or second choice available right now.
As a result, Oxlade-Chamberlain may also fancy his chances at muscling into the spot. Not quite a midfielder, not quite a winger, the role could actually suit the former Arsenal man down to the ground.
Certainly, it’ll be interesting to see what he does with it if given the chance.
Having said that, it would feel like a risk to throw Ox in against Spurs. Liverpool really need a win in this one, and to go with a player who has featured so little would make a lot of fans very nervous.
In hindsight, the decision not to include Oxlade-Chamberlain in this year’s Group Stage squad was a mistake. Last night would have been the ideal chance to get minutes in his legs.
Instead, Jones was the profiteer. Whether that makes either player more, or less likely to start at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, we’ll have to wait and see.
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