Liverpool could do without Diogo Jota for their trip to Fulham on Sunday but midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be welcome back to soften the blow.
Jurgen Klopp is expected to release an update on Jota if he speaks before or after the Premier League clash in Liverpool at 4:30 p.m. The Reds hope the Portuguese striker’s knee injury isn’t as severe as has been speculated.
Whether or not to miss Jota on a certain time, the potential impact Chamberlain can have on Liverpool as he tries to build a lead at the Premier League summit cannot be underestimated.
Along with Curtis Jones in the middle of the field, the 19-year-old is one of a number of players whose minutes will need to be monitored over the next few weeks.
Jones has played as many Premier League games this season as he did last year and has exceeded last year’s total in all competitions, largely due to his trustworthiness in the Champions League group stage.
Meanwhile, Gini Wijnaldum could certainly use a little more rest, although he had to suspend the draw at FC Midtjylland in the middle of the week.
Jordan Henderson will be fresher, but even he can’t play every single game.
Chamberlain offers an additional option in the middle to switch midfielders – more importantly as Diogo Jota could be absent for a period of time, making a 4-2-3-1 system less attractive – but has other skills as well than the other Liverpool players in that position.
Unpredictability is something Liverpool keep trying to recreate and Pep Lijnders has spoken about it many times.
Of course, Oxlade-Chamberlain can also ensure that no Liverpool midfielder can drive through the middle of the field with the ball at his feet.
“Technically, he has taken some fantastic steps, to be honest. I think there is no doubt about his football skills: right foot, left foot, speed, physicality …” said Jürgen Klopp when he signed and took his Key attributes together perfectly.
No other midfielder in Liverpool has the qualities that can propel the team forward like Chamberlain. His directness can pull the Reds up on the pitch.
Liverpool were one of eight teams in the Premier League to have scored only once from outside the box this season, with Aston Villa taking the lead with five goals.
That is certainly an element of Chamberlain’s game that Liverpool also missed. Some of his greatest moments in a Reds shirt so far have been hits from afar.
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Klopp has already noticed off the field that Chamberlain’s return makes a difference.
“The moment Ox is part of the team training again, everyone benefits. That’s how he is,” said the German on Friday.
“You don’t know you miss him because he’s been away for a long time, but the moment he walks in and is at the gym with the players, you think, ‘Oh god, right, it’s a lot better if he is is here!’. This is Ox. “
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Liverpool have many of these characters in the Kirkby training facility and Anfield locker room, but another positive player can only be a good thing.
After 366 injured days, Liverpool is certainly not the first time Liverpool have been looking forward to the return of the former Arsenal man.
But this time around, with injuries limiting Klopp’s options at Liverpool and a busy schedule ahead, Chamberlain’s return to action is more timely than ever.
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