Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was a key figure for the England Under-21s as they crushed Iceland 5-0 on Thursday night. While The Ox failed to score, he did prove why Arsene Wenger spent so much cash to bring him to Arsenal. Fabio Capello may bring Chamberlain to Euro 2012, but the media pressure could affect the 18-year old.
Chamberlain was one of the youngest players on the pitch, but you wouldn’t know it from watching the match. He seemed to beat at least one defender every time he touched the ball. The Ox has great pace, but what is more astonishing is how quickly he can reach his top sprint. One moment, he will be standing still with the ball, and the next moment he blows past the poor soul trying to mark him.
The Arsenal winger created a brilliant opportunity for himself to score in the first half. Chamberlain took advantage of a lackadaisical defender to narrowly keep the ball from crossing the end-line. He approached the goal from an extremely tight angle and his chip almost hit the back of the net.
England scored a flurry of goals near the end of the game. Tihe fifth and final goal was set up by The Ox. Chamberlain played a give-and-go off a short corner. He then used his speed to reach the upper corner of the penalty area before sending in a low pass across to Gary Gardner, who stuffed it in the far corner.
Despite all of the positives from Chamberlain, he does seem to stay on the ball a bit too long. On Thursday night, there were several instances where Chamberlain forfeited possession because he tried to maneuver around one man too many.
As we all know, Arsenal play the possession game. Wenger will surely work to polish Chamberlain’s style of play over time. Arsene spoke about this a few weeks ago when he was asked about The Ox. Once Chamberlain adjusts to the speed and quality of the defenders in the Premier League, he will be a top player. But there is no need to rush him through at only 18-years old. Progression takes time.
Another positive about Chamberlain is selfishness. A little selfishness is good in a players, especially an Arsenal player. Too many of our players pass up on open shooting opportunities in order play a needless pass, which sometimes leads to the end of the attack. The Ox demands the ball and is not afraid too take long distance strikes. He scored on a long shot for Arsenal against Shrewsbury Town in the Carling Cup.
If he continues his impressive performances, Oxlade-Chamberlain will surely be in the conversation for going to Poland and the Ukraine. Fabio Capello may (hopefully) turn to the youngsters instead of the old, unreliable group of usual suspects. Being included in the England squad would be a fantastic experience for Alex, but he will have to deal with high expectations.
The Ox appears to be a very sensible young man, so maybe he could handle the huge expectations put on him from the press. The media will certainly dub Chamberlain as “England’s Great Hope” if Capello chooses takes him to the Euros. You would think the media would be smart enough to know that England have no shot of winning a major trophy if they have to rely on an 18-year old.
