Oxlade- Chamberlain stepping up in Flamini's absence

Oxlade-Chamberlain vs Crystal Palace

It is not often you talk about a shortage in midfield for Arsenal, but due to recent circumstances, Arsene Wenger will have to think of a new midfield combination for the next few games. After seeing red in Tuesday’s 2-2 draw against Southampton, Mathieu Flamini has been suspended for the next few domestic games. With Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere struggling to shrug off injuries, who should play at the base of Arsenal’s midfield?

Vice-Captain Mikel Arteta has returned from injury and will occupy one of the positions, but it is likely Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be the one to partner him in the midfield, as he did to great effect against Crystal Palace. Tomas Rosicky has the ability to play in this role, but Wenger seems keen to test Oxlade-Chamberlain in the heart of midfield. Against Palace, he was fantastic, he completed 84% of his passes and attempted three tackles. Furthermore, he also scored two goals from three attempts.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has played just 172 Premier League minutes this season, so throwing him in with a start against Crystal Palace was a slight a risk, but after several cameo appearances and a start in the Capital One Cup, he looks to be ready again for Premier League action.

Fans may have to be patient with Oxlade-Chamberlain in this role; he has been out for months and will be coming back into the side in a virtually new position. Signs of rustiness were slightly on show against Palace, as he completed just one of three tackles, showing that he does not have the combative nature of Flamini. Perhaps against stronger, more attacking sides than the Eagles, this could be a potential weakspot for the Gunners, as team’s may exploit his tendency to burst forward from the base of midfield, thus leaving more room for the opposition to exploit in and behind the midfield and defence.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Tackles vs Palace

Furthermore, Oxlade-Chamberlain’s average pass accuracy of 83% pass success rate is not comparable to Flamini’s impressive 92%, but someone of Chamberlain’s ilk gambles more with their passing and hence their pass success rate is generally lower. For example, despite Ramsey’s brilliant season, he only has a 84% pass success rate, which could be described as low, especially for an Arsenal central midfielder. However Chamberlain possesses similar attributes to that of Ramsey and this unpredictable energetic nature allows for him to potentially be vital for Arsenal in the coming weeks.

Whilst Arsene Wenger has little options in terms of replacing Flamini for the next few games, Oxlade- Chamberlain seems fit enough and has proven he can fill in at the heart of midfield. He plays a very different role to that of Flamini but it may well be a change that this Arsenal side needs. The side has been missing that energetic presence at the heart of midfield since Aaron Ramsey’s injury.