Glenn Hoddle has admitted that he believes Liverpool will be stronger this season compared to last and has selected the return to fitness of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as a defining factor.
Speaking before Wednesday’s UEFA Super Cup clash with Chelsea on BT Sport, Hoddle revealed he believes having Oxlade-Chamberlain available will make Liverpool a stronger side.
“I think they’re a better team than last year. Even though they’ve not bought anyone – Oxlade-Chamberlain’s like having a new player, and he’s already had a taste of playing for Liverpool and playing for the manager and was playing very well,” he said.
The England international missed 49 games [Transfermarkt] after rupturing his Cruciate Ligament against Manchester City in the Champions League in 2018 – and has struggled for consistent game time since returning.
Oxlade-Chamberlain only featured for 19 minutes in the Premier League last season, with Hoddle backing him to make an impact at Anfield on his return.
OPINION
Before Oxlade-Chamberlain’s injury, he started to make a real impact on the Liverpool midfield, with his pace and directness causing problems for opposition teams both in attack and defence in his box-to-box role. The problem facing the 25-year-old is that the Reds excelled without him during his absence, securing the Champions League and coming awfully close to their first-ever Premier League title through the efforts of players such as Georginio Wijnaldum and Fabinho in midfield. In the season before last, Oxlade-Chamberlain featured 32 times and averaged 1.2 shots and 1.1 key passes per game, as well as averaging a single tackle and 81.9% passing accuracy according to WhoScored, all stats which prove his worth as a versatile option in the heart of midfield. Even when he was fit, the midfield man was more of an impact player off the bench, and Jurgen Klopp will be hoping that he can have the same effect on his side this season, with the German surely banking on the Englishman after his return from what was a serious injury, one person who fully believes he can excel on his return is Hoddle.
