Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain embodies Arséne Wenger's faith in spirit

The Arsenal teenager's performance against Milan would have thrilled whoever is going to be the next England coach

Arsenal's exhausted players left the pitch bathed in warm applause from supporters who sometimes turn their backs on the sight of adversity but this time stayed on after the final whistle, setting aside their disappointment to salute something that felt like a rebirth.

"Everybody fought together and helped his team-mate," Laurent Koscielny said, summing up the virtues of a performance that seemed more significant than the result. They had gone out the Champions League but the manner of their departure seemed to lift their hopes of hanging on to fourth place in the Premier League and securing qualification for next season's competition.

This was a tie of four halves. Arsenal lost the first one 2-0 and the second by the same score in Italy, won the third 3-0 at home and drew the fourth after Milan's players finally pulled themselves together. No doubt Massimiliano Allegri had used his half-time address to remind them of the humiliation suffered by their predecessors at Liverpool's hands seven years ago – although none of the Italian club's players on the pitch in Istanbul was involved on Tuesday night.

As Arsène Wenger's players fought their way back to the brink of redemption, they gave substance to the Frenchman's frequent expressions of faith in their spirit – a quality long obscured, perhaps, but unearthed as they put the seven-times European champions on the rack. With those three unanswered first-half goals, they took a further giant step in the restoration of their battered pride, making the outcome of the tie seem less significant than the effect of their resilience on the club's morale.

At the heart of their performance was a display by a teenager who will certainly have lodged a few thoughts in the mind of whichever coach is destined to take England to the finals of the European Championship this summer. Injuries to Mikel Arteta, Aaron Ramsey, Abou Diaby, Yossi Benayoun and Francis Coquelin, not to mention the long-term absence of Jack Wilshere, gave Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain a chance to start the match in the centre of midfield, alongside Alex Song and in front of the back four. Not quite the position just behind the front line that he says is the one best suited to his talents, but closer to it than the role on the wing in which he has been nurtured in his early days as a first-team player.

Theo Walcott is still waiting for a similar opportunity to come in from the touchline, where he has been stationed since his arrival six years ago – like Oxlade-Chamberlain, a teenaged prodigy from Southampton. Walcott always believed himself to be better suited to a striker's role, and his goalscoring record with his original club and with England's Under-21s supported his contention, as did his brace of goals in the dramatic 5-2 win in the recent north London derby. He must have been envying the apparent ease with which the 18-year-old Oxlade-Chamberlain, five years his junior, has impressed Wenger with his precocious football intelligence.

Oxlade-Chamberlain took hardly any time at all to make his mark against Milan. Only five minutes had gone when he moved out of his withdrawn starting position and turned up on the left wing, measuring a cross which was turned behind for a corner. He took it himself, whipping it in with his right foot and seeing it cleared for a second corner on the same side.

Once again he delivered a telling effort which snaked in to meet the head of Koscielny, the centre-back's lateral run towards the near post conspicuously unhindered by the presence of defenders who stood and watched him score with the most straightforward of headers. But it was the quality of the corner that had made it possible, although Oxlade-Chamberlain could not quite manage to recreate the same damaging effect when offered two further opportunities from the same quadrant a dozen minutes later.

Three minutes before the interval, with Arsenal now two goals up, came his most influential contribution to an extraordinary first half. Charging at an angle into the right-hand corner of the Milan penalty area, showing the kind of bullocking power and directness associated with Barcelona's Alexis Sánchez, he aimed his run towards the rapidly closing gap between Antonio Nocerino and Djamel Mesbah before sprawling to the ground under the Algerian left back's challenge. Robin van Persie hammered the penalty kick past Christian Abbiati with a force that redoubled the intensity of the message to his team-mates: they were right back in this contest with the chance of a reversal that would make the obliteration of Tottenham's 2-0 lead look like a rehearsal.

Before his withdrawal with 15 minutes left, Oxlade-Chamberlain came close to producing an equaliser that would have sealed the miracle when he bore in from the left to strike a confident 20-yarder that curled past the angle of crossbar and far post. But he had already played his part in a display that surely put Arsenal back in credit with their followers, even the most sceptical of them given a glimpse of a brighter future.

Source: Richard Williams, The Guardian on 7 Mar 12

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain shines as Arsenal crush 10-man Blackburn

Mutiny? What mutiny? For a change, Arsène Wenger was surrounded by nothing but jovial faces as his team, and their supporters, remembered what it is like to thoroughly enjoy a game of football. No pressure. No frustration. No embarrassment. Well, not in the home camp anyway. Against opponents who could not have been more accommodating, more ragged, more downbeat, Arsenal were able to put on an exhibition of the kind of quick-witted attacking football which been so frustratingly elusive of late.

Robin van Persie collected his second hat-trick of the season, Theo Walcott enjoyed as many assists, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain crowned another sparkling display with his first strikes in the Premier League, and even Thierry Henry chipped in with another one for the nostalgics in stoppage time, his last action in his last game here provided Arsenal do not get an extension on his loan.

On a weekend when Fabio Capello has more than his fair share of headaches, Oxlade-Chamberlain's performance gives the England manager a welcome injection of positivity. He has quickly become a symbolic figure this season at Arsenal and underlined why he has such backing with his most purposeful display yet. He has started 10 games this season and has scored in three different competitions. His finishing was impressively composed, although you sense Wenger is as pleased with the maturity of his all-round game, which has taken a giant leap in recent weeks.

He is making it difficult for Wenger to consider leaving him out, which could make life interesting when Gervinho returns from the Africa Cup of Nations. Asked if he expected the teenager to be called up for England's friendly with Holland at the end of the month, Wenger replied: "Would you be surprised? In a very short time he has been an important player who can make a difference. He made a big step in that he contributes in the team play. He is a fighter as well. He has improved so much."

This was the ideal opportunity for Arsenal's offensive players to express themselves. Blackburn, having kept unsettled Chris Samba out of the picture, were easily unstitched even before Gaël Givet got himself dismissed for a two-footed lunge just before half time. The French defender connected with Van Persie's ankle, which caused a particularly anxious moment for Wenger, and Givet felt remorseful enough to apologise to the Arsenal manager as he left the pitch.

Van Persie's stride was not so easily interrupted, though. He gave his team the early advantage with a pair of replica goals, tucked in after Walcott raced into space to cut back from the byline. The first came when the game was a two minutes old. The second helped Arsenal to regain the lead after Blackburn had plundered an unexpected equaliser from Morten Gamst Pedersen's beautifully struck free-kick. Wenger picked out the quality of Van Persie's movement as the key to it all. "Something to show in every football school," he said.

For all the applause that was due to their regular scorer, an even bigger cheer was on the way, as Van Persie turned provider to give Oxlade-Chamberlain something to chase. The young striker switched on his turbo and then showed excellent composure to flick the ball around Paul Robinson before steering it into an empty net.

Arsenal duly continued to rip into Steve Kean's depleted team after the break, scoring three more in an 11-minute blitz. "To compete against them with 11 men is hard enough," the Blackburn manager said. "It is the first time this season we have been really turned over. We lost Jason Lowe to what looks like ankle ligament damage and now miss Gaël for three games.

"It was a horrible afternoon. I can shout, and throw tea cups, and keep them in the dressing room for two hours but we'll be getting back to work and looking for a reaction." They need it. Their abject efforts in the second half were easy pickings for Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta drove in from a corner, before the two former Southampton prodigies combined to excellent effect. Walcott dribbled infield and delivered an inviting pass, which Oxlade-Chamberlain took with aplomb as he tricked his way past his marker to score. Next Van Persie swept in his 28th goal in 28 starts this campaign. Henry finished it all off in stoppage time, the old favourite clipping in with the aid of a deflection.

It was particularly pleasing for Wenger to see the goals shared out. "That has been the problem all season. If Robin doesn't score, who does? The wingers showed they can score and we need more from midfield," he said.

Defeat at Ewood Park in September had been arguably the lowest of Arsenal's low points this season. This meeting brought some much needed catharsis. With their biggest league win at the Emirates, it could not have been more emphatic but Wenger was not especially swayed by the scoreline. The most significant thing was the combination of result and performance - something he is desperate to build on next weekend at Sunderland. "If we win that 1-0 it will be fantastic," he said.

Source: Amy Lawrence, The Guardian on 4 Feb 12

Arsenal: Six Deep Flaws Exposed By Manchester United

All the tall after the match might have been about RVPs reaction to the Ox being substituted for Arshavin, but the problems exposed yesterday go much deeper than a spat...

Psychological problems need to be addressed immediately…
Any team coming off the back of a dreadful showing like Arsenal’s at Swansea last week should want to come out fighting to prove a few people wrong, but that’s exactly what Arsenal didn’t do in the first half against Manchester United yesterday. Instead of pressing them back, putting them under pressure and moving the ball quickly, they sat deep, invited Nani and Valencia to run at them and dallied in possession. There was no change from last week at all.

It’s concerning that this hasn’t been addressed. You must wonder what advice is being given before the players enter the field when a first half performance of such sluggishness is produced. The drive has completely disappeared from midfield, the creative players are woefully short on confidence, and no one wants to take charge of the situation. Expect the old adage of Arsenal lacking leadership to rear itself again soon.

…and so do the technical ones
Aaron Ramsey has been overused this season, and it’s starting to show. His eye for a through ball, like the superb pass he slid through for Gervinho which led to Robin van Persie’s first at Stamford Bridge in October, has deserted him, and with no Mikel Arteta either, there’s a no one to pick a pass from the centre of the pitch. Tomas Rosicky was selected as the best of a bad bunch of replacements for the Spaniard, but despite working reasonably hard, he failed to make an impact and looks to be counting down the days until he can leave.

With Theo Walcott and Andrei Arshavin effectively making Arsenal’s attacks a man light with their wastefulness, there is a desperate lack of a regular and reliable creator of chances. That Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain looked most likely to come up with the unexpected is a positive for his development, but worrying for the rest of the team.

The development of young talent goes stagnant too quickly
Hope that Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott will become the world-class players Gooners want them to slip away with every disappointing performance. There is ground for concern that they could go the same way as (deep breath) Jeremie Aliadiere, Quincy Owusu Abeyie, Nicklas Bendtner, Arturo Lupoli, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Denilson, David Bentley, Justin Hoyte, Armand Traore, Fran Merida, Carlos Vela and any other player that’s excited in the Carling Cup and reserves but never become a top level first team regular.

“So and so is going to be great in a few years,” and “have you seen the YouTube videos of this player,” are sentiments that have been echoed regularly in Arsenal circles since the Carling Cup has been used to blood youngsters, but for all the developed players, the substance has lacked. There have been shining lights: Cesc Fabregas is legitimately a player developed at Arsenal and Gael Clichy, Jack Wilshere and Wojciech Szcsesny have all served/are serving the club well. Here’s to hoping Walcott and Ramsey find their feet, and that Oxlade-Chamberlain, Coquelin and Frimpong don’t go the same way as many before them.

There is a lack of tactical flexibility
Arsenal are stuck in a tactical rut created by Wenger’s stubbornness. On Sunday, United looked initially to be lining up 4-4-1-1, with Welbeck up front and Rooney just behind. Carrick and Giggs anchored the midfield and Nani and Valencia were a constant threat on the flanks. But Rooney was able to drop deep, at times making a 4-3-2-1 (with Nani and Valencia as the two), to frustrate Arsenal and set United up for counter attacks. Earlier in the day Spurs demonstrated how to play quickly and directly, with first two out-and-out wingers, then two inverted wingers, while Rafael van der Vaart and Luka Modric alternated as the main support for Jermain Defoe. Meanwhile, City had enough fluidity in their immensely talented front four to cause problems at the other end.

The most insightful switch Wenger could devise was to occasionally switch Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain, then chuck Park Chu-Young on with ten minutes left. Since Wenger switched from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1, forced partly by the departure of Dennis Bergkamp, there’s been no looking back. Whether he doesn’t want to be proved wrong or whether he genuinely believes the current shape is the best way forward is unknown. Either way, it’s not helping when the game needs to be changed, or the opposition has sussed out a method of containment. And that’s happening far too often at the moment.

The Emirates is as divided as it’s ever been
When Oxlade-Chamberlain was replaced by Andrei Arshavin in the 74th minute, a ripple of “you don’t know what you’re doing” was aimed at Arsene Wenger. It wasn’t deafening and wasn’t the majority, but it was telling. Public opinion of Wenger is at its lowest point since the 8-2 defeat to United back in August, but at the time, leeway was given because the transfer window had yet to be closed and Arsenal were decimated by injuries. Now, the repetitive excuses and the refusal to blame his players is wearing so thin, that even staunch pro-Wengerites are weary. I should know, I’m one of them.

And if that’s the fans, what about the players? Robin van Persie’s perplexed reaction after the Oxlade-Chamberlain change summed up how they must be feeling towards their manager. Defiantly, Wenger defended the decision, saying a man of his experience didn’t have to justify everything he did. Van Persie, and the fans, might have a different view.

A draw at home to Man United would have felt like a victory
Should it be sad or expected that it’s come to this? With ten minutes to go I was praying that Arsenal could hold on for a draw, but Welbeck struck and it wasn’t to be. I felt as a fan of any team would in the same situation. A draw would have felt like we’d p*ssed off United, as well as gained a point, but considering they’re challenging for the title and we’re struggling for fourth, makes me feel a bit pathetic.

But Man United should beat Arsenal every time shouldn’t they? They have the wealth, the fan base, are apparently the biggest club in the world, and can price Arsenal out of a transfer whenever they like. The thing is, Arsenal fans didn’t used to need to make these excuses.

Source: Joe Tyler, The Sabotage Times on 23 Jan 12

Mutiny erupts but no end in sight to Arsenal's ever-decreasing circles

Fans turn on Arsène Wenger but changes at the top are unlikely to halt Arsenal's drop in expectations

The greatest irony, and there were plenty of them around at Arsenal on Sunday, was that the outcry was triggered by a change. Arsène Wenger's decision to substitute a talented youngster with potential for an experienced and expensive international was also, on at least one level, pretty ironic, although no one saw it that way for a simple reason: Andrey Arshavin, the Russia captain, has become a total liability. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, by contrast, had impressed on his full Premier League debut against Manchester United.

Wenger promoted contrariness afterwards. The jeering of the substitution, he suggested, vindicated his decision to start Oxlade-Chamberlain ahead of Arshavin. Arsenal are living in topsy-turvy times, where even what may appear sensible invites condemnation. The club's financial results are due out by the end of next month and they will be impressively strong. The directors are waiting for a bad day to bury the good news.

Arsenal's supporters are back in mutiny mode and it was a complication for Wenger that Robin van Persie seemed to be on board with them. The captain also expressed his unhappiness at the substitution, which presaged Danny Welbeck's winning goal for United (Arshavin, following Sod's law, had to be at fault) and it did not need the pundit Gary Neville to pronounce that "if the captain's reacting like that, you've got problems".

Wenger is bogged down in them. He should be able to shrug off Van Persie's heat-of-the-moment exasperation and the striker will not base his decision on whether to extend his Arsenal contract in the summer on one substitution that went painfully wrong. "The manager and I are fine and my relationship with the club is good," Van Persie told the Sun. "There is no problem, there is no conflict, there is no controversy."

But the bigger picture is not encouraging the Dutchman or the fans. The United defeat was Arsenal's third in succession and eighth of the Premier League season. They sit five points off the Champions League pace and if the half-full-glass drinkers note that fourth-placed Chelsea still have to visit the Emirates, the half-empty brigade fear that the fixture on 21 April will press Wenger's team out of contention. And that is if they were to remain in it. The apocalyptic scenario is that no Champions League qualification equals no Van Persie next season. Wenger admitted last Friday that no Champions League football equalled a disaster in sporting terms.

Sunday felt like a tipping point for Wenger because the dissent was so vociferous and widespread. Even the supporters who did not chant "You don't know what you're doing" at him surely asked themselves the question. A body that measures in the thousands has lost its faith in the man who famously "knows", and that goes for his substitutions to his decisions in the transfer market.

Gooner soul-searching is nothing new. There was an outbreak of it in the desperate weeks of the early season and there is the sense now that the improved performances and results from the end of September to the turn of the year merely papered over the cracks and the inherent fragility of the squad.

Expectation levels have already been scaled down, just as Wenger's summer deadline-day splurge on a clutch of steady heads marked a change to his approach. The limit of Arsenal's ambitions for the season has long been to finish fourth but the doubters argue the club are sprinting to stand still, even if a Champions League play-off is infinitely preferable to falling off the precipice in fifth.

The fans want, somehow, to get back to the old level, when the team were regular title contenders. Deep down, they wonder whether the squad is good enough, which undermines Wenger's belief that things will be OK when his many injured and unavailable players return. And in order to drive the upturn, there is the growing feeling that fundamental change is required.

The plain fact is, though, that it will not come about easily as it is not only Wenger but the chief executive, Ivan Gazidis, and the majority shareholder, Stan Kroenke, who are wedded to the club's economic model, which is against high-risk spend-to-accumulate offensives.

Those who feel that Wenger should jump or be pushed from his post ought to be careful what they wish for. Kroenke and Gazidis would seek a replacement with similar philosophies and to work in a similar framework, and not only because of the incoming financial fair play regulations. In Wenger, they may already have the best.

A radical view involves the removal of Kroenke and Gazidis, and a fresh approach entirely, perhaps under the leadership of Alisher Usmanov, who owns a little under 30% of the club's shares and has positioned himself against the concept of the self-sustaining business model. It would be fiendishly difficult to see this happening.

Gazidis has identified a huge discrepancy between the worldwide reach of the Arsenal brand and the revenue that it generates. He believes that bringing the latter up to speed – the club have sophisticated strategies in place to do so – is the surest way forward. It is simply not possible to play the sheikhs and the oligarchs at their own game.

And so Wenger and Arsenal will continue to dip their shoulder against emotional supporters, unsatisfactory short-term fixes and the prospect of an excruciating slide. As another crisis bites, there are no clear solutions. The ever-decreasing circles are dizzying.

Source: David Hytner, The Guardian on 23 Jan 12

Can we go back to 2011?

2011 might not have been great, but the start to 2012 has been dismal. Whilst most people see the New Year as a fresh start, Arsenal began the year looking fatigued and tired, and in serious need of refreshment.

Hopefully that refreshment will come in the form of a couple of new players, and some enthusiasm and encouraging performances from players in the FA Cup. Despite playing well in the first half against Fulham, the busy Christmas period took its’ toll on the team and they lost all control on the game.

Some of the fundamental mistakes that we hadn’t been making in recent weeks returned at Craven Cottage. The injuries and the red card didn’t help the situation at the back, but both goals that we conceded were avoidable, and came from individual errors. What also made the match immensely frustrating was that the last results of 2011 had all gone in our favour, and a win at Fulham would have put some pressure on those above us, and kept us in the top four. 2011 ended so well, and now at the start 2012, that feels wasted.

The first half at Fulham was good, and we restricted the hosts’ opportunities well. Had we shown more confidence in front of goal, the match could and should have been out of sight for Fulham at half time. Gervinho was a main culprit, but we still should have had a penalty when Senderos tripped him. In a traditionally difficult period of the season when results really are everything, we haven’t been helped by the lack of penalty decisions going our way. In the last five league games, we arguably should have had five penalties that weren’t given. Obviously there are no guarantees that the penalties would have been scored, but they’d have given us a much better chance of winning the games that we dropped points in. It seems that all of our bad luck with refereeing for the season has come at the same time, and at a bad time. Hopefully it’ll balance out later in the season.

Before a match, looking at who the referee is can generally give you a good or bad feeling about the upcoming game, and when seeing Lee Probert was officiating the Fulham match, I didn’t think we’d suffer from dodgy decisions. However there were minor and major ones during the whole game. How Riise swinging himself round Djourou’s legs, and pushing Walcott into the advertising boards aren’t fouls I’m not quite sure. Robin van Persie was also subjected to some strong challenges, and you couldn’t help but feel Neil Warnock’s comments about him at the weekend were in the back of the referee’s mind. Djourou’s first yellow card was justified as he was late and caught Dembele, however Murphy committed a similar, if not worse, foul on Djourou in the second half that didn’t earn a caution. All fans just want consistency. That made the second yellow that Djourou received very frustrating as there was minimal contact with Zamora, and nowhere near enough to pull him down. Djourou wasn’t completely innocent though as he should have been aware that Zamora might fall and should have made sure he didn’t leave himself vulnerable to a situation where the referee could send him off.

Overall, Djourou didn’t have a great match, as it’s clear he isn’t comfortable at full back. However he’s played there enough in recent weeks to be able to do a better job. His positioning might not have always been perfect, but Francis Coquelin put in a fantastic amount of effort as a make shift left back, and someone with the same energy would have been helpful on the right. When Djourou had gone off, I’m still wondering why Sebastien Squillaci came on. He’s out of form and has barely kicked a ball this season, so why not bring on Ignasi Miquel who would have been slightly more tuned in to the pace of the game. Miquel could have gone to the left and the quicker Coquelin could have gone to the right to deal with the dangerous Karim Frei.

Squillaci’s header for Fulham’s winning goal was bizarre to say the least. Surely the basics of defending say head the ball away from your goal, or out of play, and not across the goal. Squillaci chose to head it straight across the goal to claim a good assist for Zamora. It’s very easy to blame him because frankly he hasn’t been very good since we signed him, but in fairness to the Frenchman, he was thrust into a pressured situation for his first league appearance of the season, and had to play in an unfamiliar position. Although when we’re in a serious need of points to get into the top four, there isn’t time to be sympathetic.

The Fulham equaliser also came from an individual error. Wojciech Szczesny has generally been excellent this season, and has put a firm end to all questions about Arsenal needing a new goalkeeper, however he showed he’s still young and learning his trade when he was caught out from a corner. Had that been Almunia, Fabianski or Mannone, fans might have been calling for an immediate replacement, however there is a sense with Szczesny that the mistake was an isolated incident. The Pole hasn’t made the number of mistakes that the other three have, and has the confidence to get over it. While one mistake leads to another for other players, we’ve seen that Szczesny improves following them. You only have to look at his form since the Carling Cup final to know that. Hopefully the same will happen again. In the context of the Fulham match though, his eagerness to come out of goal cost us.

As much as individual errors and refereeing mistakes contributed to the defeat, the bigger problem was how the team, and particularly the midfield, faded massively in the second half. Fulham did improve after the break, but we allowed them the possession to do so, and couldn’t keep it ourselves when Fulham attacks did break down. Arteta and Ramsey both looked knackered, and when they did have the ball, they weren’t able to ping it forward into space for the quicker players to run onto, as they weren’t making themselves available for that type of pass. It would have released pressure and made us dangerous on the counter attack.

Of the quicker players, Walcott in particular had a poor game. He missed the Wolves game because of a virus, and he could still have been feeling the effects in the QPR and Fulham games. If he was struggling, why was he risked in both games when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is waiting in reserve? Rosicky would have been more effective coming on in the centre to replace the tiring players in there, and bringing Oxlade-Chamberlain on would have meant we’d have had the option of pace on the counter attack.

I thought Laurent Kosicelny and Per Mertesacker both played well, and both did their best to hold the lead that Koscielny gave to us. Even though both looked fatigued, they dealt with Fulham’s forwards well. The only time Zamora was given any real space in the box was when he scored at the end, although that was when he was in an area that the inexperienced full-back Coquelin should have been covering, and he only received the ball from Squillaci’s poor header.

The defeat means we haven’t come out of the Christmas period as well as it looked like we would do at the end of 2011. If this is what the rest of 2012 is going to be like, is it too late to go back to 2011?

There is cause for optimism though. The players will have had a full week without a game before we face Leeds in the FA Cup on Monday, and then don’t play for another six days before Swansea, so hopefully they’ll regain some fitness. There will inevitably be some changes for the Leeds match as well, meaning we should be refreshed for Swansea.

The team selection for Leeds will be interesting as there is scope for changes in most areas of the pitch, and it’ll be anyone’s guess as to who lines up at full back. With Sagna supposedly nearing a return, I doubt Arsene Wenger will make a big signing at full back, so we’ll probably see two from Yennaris, Coquelin and Miquel filling those berths against Leeds. Hopefully it’ll be a chance for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to show he’s worth trusting in the Premier League. Yossi Benayoun, Tomas Rosicky and Andrey Arshavin should also all be in contention for starts.

Whilst there is a need for changes, we must take the match seriously. The replay against Leeds in the third round last year added to the fixture congestion, and as we play Manchester United in January, we need the tie dealt with, and our name in the fourth round.

This post has mostly been doom and gloom, but there is one name that makes me want to stay in 2012, and should get all Arsenal fans excited for the first two months of the year, even if not in terms of his current footballing ability, but just as an icon who we want to see in red and white again. Thierry Henry. Enough said. Bring on the next two months Gooners!

Source: Sam Limbert, ESPN Soccernet on 5 Jan 12

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain starts to fulfil his potential for Arsenal

The striker the fans are calling the Ox in the box showed he may be ready for the big time ahead of schedule

When Arsène Wenger introduced Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as one of Arsenal's first meaningful forays in the latest transfer market, it was a reflection of a nervy summer that reaction among the faithful was not entirely positive. This, it must be said, was no reflection on the latest whiz-kid who sped up the M3 from Southampton to inject some young, English energy. It was a manifestation of the frustration that when experienced defenders were the order of the day, a teenaged winger showed up. It brought to mind Rafael Benítez's famous complaint when the Valencia board took no notice of his ideas for team strengthening: "I asked for a table, they brought me a lampshade."

Reconstructing Arsenal in this era of financial madness remains a complex business. But the early signs are that in Oxlade-Chamberlain the club have recruited a player whose promise means it was absolutely right to sign him, regardless of whether he was a table or a lampshade. Against Olympiakos, with a smart goal he served notice of worth, becoming the youngest English player – at 18 years and 44 days – to score for Arsenal in the Champions League. Not for nothing are the message boards referring to him as the "Ox in the box".

A normal career path for Oxlade-Chamberlain would have seen him start Carling Cup matches and enjoy bits and pieces of higher-profile games as a substitute. But these are not normal times. So overburdened is the treatment room at London Colney, the kid was granted a Champions League debut just a week after his scoring role in the Carling Cup against Shrewsbury.

It is one thing making your mark on opponents from England's fourth tier, another to take the initiative against the perennial Greek champions. With his first meaningful contribution, Oxlade-Chamberlain gave another demonstration not only of his skill but also his assuredness and willingness to showcase his worth.

With all young talents given opportunities early, the question always boils down to whether they have the personality to express themselves, or prefer to play safe and avoid mistakes. Oxlade-Chamberlain is showing the mettle to seize the day. "He's a very confident boy, a very strong boy," said Pat Rice, standing in for the suspended Wenger. "The Arsenal supporters are going to see a lot of this boy."

The game was in its opening phase when, with a clever run to drift in between Olympiakos's thin blue line, he gave himself a half-chance. Collecting Alex Song's pass, he surged across the face of goal. Ivan Marcano did not do enough to disturb his run, and the youngster measured his chance and drilled a shot through Olof Mellberg's legs and into the far corner. It was his weaker foot, too. His face was a picture, as if he couldn't quite believe he had scored on this stage, that only a few months ago he would have been watching admiringly on the television. Up in the director's box, Wenger was up on his feet, leading the applause.

When André Santos angled in a second, it ought to have made for a comfortable evening. But this being the Arsenal creation that can concede at any moment, Oxlade-Chamberlain found himself less involved as Olympiakos began to force the issue. Five minutes into the second half came another glimpse of goal but this time the teenager was not quite as a decisive, allowing the goalkeeper, Franco Costanzo, to block.

Comparisons with Walcott are easily made – both were highly coveted attacking graduates from the Southampton academy who signed for Arsenal. Oxlade-Chamberlain is a different build to Walcott. He is a couple of inches taller and considerably broader and has strength and control in his game, rather than relying on sheer pace. Walcott, watching on from the stands with his girlfriend, and knowing how much onus there is to produce even in youth, will have been impressed.

"He's very friendly with Theo, who gives him the benefit of his experience," noted Rice. "He's got a big challenge trying to get in front of Theo, who won't give in easy."

Oxlade-Chamberlain's nose for goal, despite his rawness at the top level, is a massive bonus for an Arsenal team who are over-reliant on Robin van Persie. The Dutchman was held back here, rested with half an eye on Sunday's more challenging trip to White Hart Lane. With Wenger's pack shuffled, there was a chance for some of the B-listers to make an impression. For the likes of Marouane Chamakh and Andrey Arshavin form remains elusive.

Oxlade-Chamberlain will not be rushed by Wenger, but it is reassuring for the manager to know he has a talent who is perhaps more ready for the big time than he anticipated. The boy had a debut to forget at Old Trafford. Now the future has begun in earnest.

Source: Amy Lawrence, The Guardian on 28 Sep 11

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain comes to Arsenal's rescue against Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury Town did not join Liverpool, Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers on the roll call of names that have ruined Arsène Wenger's and Arsenal's early season but they came close enough for him to lose another large dose of sleep.

"Sacked in the morning! You're getting sacked in the morning" had been the delirious chant from the visiting support to Wenger after he watched his side go behind during an often shambolic first‑half performance.

Losing his job might not have happened if League Two Town had pulled off arguably the greatest embarrassment of Wenger's tenure. But the inquisition into what precisely his strategy is at the club might have gone off the scale before Bolton Wanderers' visit here on Saturday.

Instead, class eventually showed, a valiant Shrewsbury went down as expected, and Wenger could say of the result: "It was a bit nervy because we played against a good side. They were direct but had good technique. They had a few dangerous positions even after they scored. But we took over in the second half."

If this sounds like a rather generous assessment of Town's qualities it is because Wenger is a man eyeing the visit of Bolton from a position of fourth‑bottom. His team have a goal difference of minus eight, having shipped a barely credible 14 goals in their five league outings. Building morale while denying obvious confidence‑sapping truths is his main game, despite how difficult those numbers make the task.

After the sides had emerged for the second half all-square, a 25-yard shot from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after 58 minutes that slipped under Ben Smith, and a cool late finish from Yossi Benayoun, sent the Arsenal fans home relieved.

They finished as they had started, in the ascendancy. The tie's opening flurry featured Marouane Chamakh, who twice threatened to score. But from this apparently comfortable juncture, Arsenal proceeded to crumble during a hardly credible middle section of the opening half: their inability to deal with the high ball, which has plagued their season, was again the big weakness.

Under an aerial free-kick, Johan Djourou and Chamakh each jumped but somehow missed the ball and it bounced dangerously in the area, though Lukasz Fabianski could gather.

Emboldened, Shrewsbury pressed forward again. This time, Marvin Morgan's pass released Mark Wright. His shot trickled past Fabianksi and hit the post before the keeper recovered to save the follow‑up. From the corner Jenkinson allowed Wright a free header at the far post, which he could not direct.

Arsenal's disarray was about to reach a low point. From a throw in on the right Morgan swung in a diagonal that Djourou merely watched, and to which James Collins rose unchallenged, the striker easily slotting the headed finish past Fabianski.

After 16 minutes Wenger's band had lost the plot. A further catalogue of near-disasters followed. Collins was inches from finishing beyond Fabianski again, and Arsenal's rearguard (a loose term) gazed at another corner, which left the keeper stranded and Reuben Hazell a free header he should have converted.

Kieran Gibbs may have equalised with a 33rd‑minute header from a Jenkinson cross, and Emmanuel Frimpong's later free-kick might have drawn a neat save from Smith, but as the sides walked off for the break the impression was of the Wenger project continuing to list. And list badly.

Earlier in the day Ivan Gazidis, the chief executive, scoffed at any assertion that Wenger was out of touch. Yet the evidence of the opening half suggested that he had been protesting too much with the Frenchman making one unfathomable decision in not selecting a strong bench in case of a scare.

After warning before kick-off that "our season depends on how well we respond to the disappointment", Wenger then gambled with his players' drained spirit by naming Ryo Miyaichi, Chuks Aneke, Daniel Boateng, Oguzhan Ozyakup, Sanchez Watt, Nico Yennaris and Damian Martinez as the go-to options for a starting XI from which one or more of Gibbs, Benayoun, Djourou, Chamakh, and Frimpong might have been held back as insurance.

In Djourou, the captain for the night, Wenger was let down badly, unable to rely on one of his established men to set the correct path for his more junior team-mates. In what should have been the easiest outing of his campaign so far the Swiss floundered to cause Wenger one more concern in a tally that continues to rise.

Source: Jamie Jackson, The Guardian on 20 Sep 11

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain can prove that father knew best at Arsenal

The 17-year-old Southampton winger, who is 'better than Theo Walcott', persuades Arsène Wenger to part with £12m

When Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's father first taught him to kick a ball in the back garden he made sure his son became almost equally adept with both feet. By the time the boy turned seven, such proficiency had helped create a primary school sensation. Throw in a sprinter's turn of pace, augmented by adhesive control for one so young, and it was no surprise that Southampton academy scouts were drawn to Glenhurst school playing fields in Havant.

Although Mark Chamberlain had played for Portsmouth – where he would later become a coach – he harboured no divided loyalties. The former England winger simply felt Southampton academy's was right for his son, a hunch vindicated not only when Alex made his first-team debut at 16 but on Monday, as he joined Arsenal for £12m.

In recent years Gareth Bale, Wayne Bridge and Theo Walcott have emerged from a Southampton junior hothouse which came to the fore during the not overly popular Rupert Lowe's time in charge of the club. It was Lowe who appointed a French youth coach, Georges Prost, to emphasise technique while working with the juniors and even though Prost is now in Qatar, his technical legacy endures.

Oxlade-Chamberlain's eye-catching play in first central midfield and then on the wing soon ensured he stood out from peers who could merely envy his background. Not only did Alex's dad win eight England caps but his uncle, Neville Chamberlain, played in attack for Port Vale and Stoke City.

Both men have rarely tired of reminding him about the need for "end product". Oxlade-Chamberlain benefits from the rare ability to go outside his full-back and hit the byline before unleashing a centre – the youngster can also finish. He scored 11 goals in 43 appearances for Southampton, most coming last season as they won promotion to the Championship.

Slightly stronger on his right side – his preferred wing – but virtually equally capable with his left foot, Oxlade-Chamberlain further wowed scouts courtesy of an acute positional sense allied to the capacity to play with his "head up".

Signficantly the latter two qualities lead some observers to suspect he may eventually revert to a role in midfield. "I've always liked to play as a central midfielder," Oxlade-Chamberlain has said. "But recently I've been playing out wide and I feel happy there."

Whatever his location, the next step is sizeable; especially as Arsenal fans will crave a new hero to replace the soon to be departed Samir Nasri. Yet with not just Arsène Wenger but Sir Alex Ferguson and Kenny Dalglish among long-standing admirers of a creative player who turns 18 next Monday, a Premier League future has long beckoned.

Indeed earlier this year Mark Chamberlain predicted that his son could eclipse Walcott. "I've said I rate him higher than Walcott and everyone looked at me funny," he said. "But, as an all-round technical player, Alex has more to offer."

Paternal pride is, however, coupled with common sense. "I've told Alex it's nice being pretty on the ball but, if you don't have an end product then it's a waste of time," he added.

As a former professional he knows the game's pitfalls and regularly counsels his son against morphing into a Billy Big Boots.

"I'd hate Alex to become one of these young boys you see earning X pounds and acting like they've made it," Chamberlain has said. "He's fine at the moment but we'll keep an eye on him.

"He likes to read about himself in the papers and watch himself playing on television but he's a level-headed boy. After games he doesn't like fuss. Alex just wants to leave the ground and meet his mates."

Source: Loiuse Taylor, The Guardian on 8 Aug 11

Oxlade-Chamberlain seals move to Arsenal

Arsenal Football Club is delighted to announce that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has joined the Gunners on a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee.

Oxlade-Chamberlain, 17, joins Arsenal from Championship side Southampton, where he made 44 first-team appearances during his long association with the south coast club.

Joining the Southampton Academy at the age of seven, Alex quickly excelled through the ranks of the club's successful youth set-up, making his first team debut in March 2010 at the age of just 16 years and 199 days. In doing so, Alex became the second youngest ever appearance maker for Southampton after Theo Walcott.

A quick, attacking player, Oxlade-Chamberlain played an integral role in Southampton's promotion campaign from League One in 2010/11, making 41 appearances and scoring 10 goals in the season. His impressive performances earned him a place in the PFA League One Team of the Year 2010/2011, voted by his fellow professionals.

Alex, who can operate on either wing or as an attacking central midfielder, has also represented England at Under-18, Under-19 and Under-21 levels.

After sealing the deal to bring the young prospect to Emirates Stadium, Arsène Wenger said: "We are delighted that Alex has decided to join us.

"He is an exciting young player who will provide us with creativity and offensive quality. Alex is a versatile player who can play in a number of positions. He can play as an attacking centre midfielder, or wide left and right.

"Alex is a perceptive passer of the ball and has a great understanding of the game and looks to be a very good team player."

Wenger continued: "Alex has done extremely well during his development with Southampton and we are looking forward to him progressing even further and fulfilling his huge potential with Arsenal Football Club."

Oxlade-Chamberlain, who celebrates his 18th birthday next Monday, said: "I'm so excited to be joining Arsenal. It's a fantastic club and I'm really looking forward to the opportunity of playing football at the highest level.

"Arsenal have a great manager in Arsène Wenger, top quality players and an attractive style of play. These were all important factors in me choosing to sign for Arsenal.

"I'm proud to be joining Arsenal, but I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Southampton for their help and support during the early part of my career, for which I will always be grateful."

Alex concluded: "I'm now looking forward to meeting all my new team mates and giving absolutely everything in an Arsenal shirt."

Alex will go into the Arsenal first-team squad and immediately start training at London Colney in readiness for the start of the new season.

Source: Arsenal.com on 8 Aug 11