Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger sees Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s future in central midfield, and says his ability to get himself out of trouble makes him an ideal candidate to play in that position.
During his time at Arsenal, the 22-year-old has mainly been used as a winger, but impressed in central midfield during Saturday’s FA Cup third round victory against Sunderland.
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s pace, agility and flair are just a few of the qualities that he has to play in the middle, and Wenger believes he has the ability to thrive in a box-to-box role.
He has the attributes to play in central midfield, he has that important quality – a little surge to get out of pressure.
Experience on the wing, running past defenders and using his ability to beat the opposition has allowed Oxlade-Chamberlain to further develop his game and Wenger said his dribbling is a valuable asset when playing in central midfield.
One of the things to get out of pressure is to have a little dribble to get away from the guy who closes you down and nobody has that more than Oxlade-Chamberlain.
That is why he could be suited for the modern game because he has that capacity to get out of the pressure.
That is why I played 4-3-3 [against Sunderland] because he is really suited to be right-sided, box to box in a 4-3-3 – he really fits in there.
With recent injuries to central midfielders such as club captain Mikel Arteta, Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Francis Coquelin, Oxlade-Chamberlain may get more chances in the near future to prove himself as a box-to-box player, and stake his claim to play there regularly.
