Arsenal’s boosted by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's imminent return

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Rewind to the opening day of the season, and the Emirates Stadium was in a slightly less forgiving mood than it is now. Arsenal slumped to a 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa and large sections of the crowd were calling for the head of manager Arsene Wenger. The game also marked the last time that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was seen in an Arsenal shirt.

The England winger is set to return from the knee injury sustained in that game to a very different Arsenal side.

“He is close to being back in training,” he is quoted in The Sun.

“That’ll be next week but it takes time to be competitive again.”

With the Gunners top of the league and firmly in contention for their first piece of silverware since 2005, Oxlade-Chamberlain’s return could prove to be one of the club’s bigger squad changes of the January transfer window – a window that Wenger has often been loath to use – and could be key as the Gunners fight for silverware across league, cup and Europe.

The returning midfielder made 25 league appearances last season, as he built upon his impressive breakthrough season the year before. He resumes full training this week and when he returns will add athleticism and pace to Arsenal’s midfield. Deployed from the left hand side of midfield or from the centre, he will be looking to replicate the impact that his fellow English wideman Theo Walcott enjoyed upon his return from injury. Given that Walcott himself is likely to be out for a while with the knee injury sustained in the FA Cup win over Tottenham at the weekend, the return of “The Ox” could be well timed.

Like Walcott, he brings pace and athleticism to the team. Whilst not possessing the same level of outright pace that Walcott does, Oxlade-Chamberlain does provide a direct threat from wide areas. In the aforementioned Aston Villa game he completed four take ons, despite only being on the pitch for 45 minutes.

Last season he completed 30 take ons over his 25 appearances. Whilst not a spectacular raw number, when considering his relatively low amount of game time it is a good score. He went past his man once every 36 minutes spent on the pitch – more frequently than Walcott and third highest at the club behind Jack Wilshere and Abou Diaby. With Walcott injured and the centre of the pitch possessing numerous players with the ability to pick the perfect pass, Oxlade-Chamberlain’s ability to drive at defences with the ball at his feet could provide Arsenal with a handy plan B as the season runs its course.

His take-on statistics were just part of an impressive 63% rate of duels won. Such a good all round score reflects an athletic ability that is about more than pace, and shows the all round strength that has seen Wenger play the England man in central midfield areas. He won 93% of his tackles last season, failing with just two attempted tackles. When he returns he is likely – at least initially – to feature in wide areas, given the current strength the Gunners possess in central areas, but his surging runs and strength give Wenger an alternative option in the centre of midfield and with his surprisingly good tackling record, he could provide energy and dynamism to central areas.

However, he is most likely to start off his return from wide. If he does, then he will provide genuine width to the Arsenal side that has been lacking on the left in the absence of both him and Lukas Podolski. His most impressive performance last season came in the 2-1 defeat to Chelsea, in which he played on the right of midfield. He produced the assist for Gervinho’s goal – one of eight crosses put in by the youngster – and provided a further three chance creating key passes.

If there is a criticism to be made of Oxlade-Chamberlain, it is his goalscoring record. As his goal at the Maracana for England last year showed, he is capable of providing the end product to back up his approach play. However he needs to do it more frequently, particularly in light of the increased competition for places at Arsenal. He scored just one Premier League goal last season, and must improve upon that this time around.

However his return is sure to provide a timely boost for Arsenal in the next few weeks. Possessing the bustling midfield play of compatriot Jack Wilshere, combined with the fleet-footed Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain provides Arsenal with an array of talent to aide their title charge. He also returns with a point to prove. He managed just one full game last season, and arguably suffered from a degree of second season syndrome after his breakthrough the year before. Looking to make up for lost time, he will be eager to recapture and build on his initial form and could be the January boost that Wenger’s side need.