Jurgen Klopp offers thoughts on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s midweek performance

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Jurgen Klopp started Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the left hand side of his front three when Liverpool faced Chelsea in Wednesday night’s Super Cup.

As per Liverpool’s official website, Klopp admitted that Chamberlain may well not have been best pleased to have been subbed at half time, but took the blame himself for the Englishman’s quiet display.

He said: “It was positive, physically especially. We all know Ox, can have much more impact in that game, but it’s normal after a long period. Positionally, he didn’t play [there] for a while. That’s why I said it was my responsibility and not his.

“But he was good, he played a pass for us – a sensational chance of Mo Salah. Ox was maybe not overly happy that we took him off after 45 minutes. He didn’t say anything, but I can imagine!”

TBR’s View – Can Chamberlain be a left-field solution as part of Liverpool’s front three?

Much has been made of Liverpool’s lack of signings in the transfer window, with one potential area of concern the lack of depth in reserve in attack.

Xherdan Shaqiri, Divock Origi and Rhian Brewster can all fill in, but it’s easy to forget that Chamberlain played on the wings earlier in his career – before moving to central midfield.

That has been seen as his best position since, but Klopp’s experiment – even though it wasn’t especially successful – suggests that the £120,000-a-week (Spotrac) ace could well return to the flanks and offer some cover.