Jurgen Klopp has admitted that Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain must do more if he wants to cement his spot in the side.
The German heaped praise on the England international for his recent goals against Genk and Arsenal but shared that he doesn’t believe he is at his best yet at Anfield.
Oxlade-Chamberlain was accused of not being involved in certain moments of games for Liverpool, and that he must do more than just score goals if he is to start more frequently.
“He has scored, nice, both at Genk, a real stunner on Wednesday, a lot of outstanding moments, but other moments he is not involved,” he said as quoted by TEAMtalk.
“It is good a player thinks he is not at his best. He could think he is because he scored some goals. Quite some space for improvement. That is good.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain started both the games against Genk and Arsenal recently but has struggled to earn a spot in the Premier League – only starting two fixtures in the top-flight this season.
OPINION
Given Liverpool’s outstanding run of form in all competitions, you have to consistently excel to prove to Klopp that you are capable of taking a spot consistently in his side. The German has a strict style in the middle of the park, and despite scoring some impressive goals recently, Oxlade-Chamberlain isn’t doing enough in other areas to prove that he can replace the likes of Jordan Henderson. With Fabinho and Georginio Wijnaldum also playing out of their skin recently, the England international is most likely going to have to wait for one of those players to pick up a problem to force his way in, with their defensive importance too high to see them slip out. Liverpool conceded five against Arsenal, and the Reds were consistently beaten on the counter-attack – something that never really happens with Klopp’s first-choice midfield in the Premier League. Oxlade-Chamberlain will be catching the eye with his attacking skill, but he must improve in other areas before proving he can come in and cement his spot.
