Arsenal vs Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp says Oxlade-Chamberlain wasn't handled properly at the Emirates
Chamberlain joined Liverpool in a £35m deal on transfer deadline day.
Jurgen Klopp has taken a dig at Arsenal over their treatment of Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain prior to his transfer to Liverpool last summer. The 25-year-old was chiefly used as a wing-back for the north London club and managed only nine league goals in five years with the Gunners.
The German stated that unlike the Gunners, where the chief goal scoring responsibility was on the shoulders of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Olivier Giroud, at Merseyside, the responsibility is distributed all over the pitch , which would bring the best out of Chamberlain.
He joined Liverpool in a £35m ($47m) deal on transfer deadline day after turning down a deal worth up to £180,000 a week to stay at the Emirates Stadium. The former Southampton man has started only five Premier League games for Liverpool, making a further 10 league appearances from the bench, with opportunities restricted by the team's fine form.
This is the first time that Chamberlain will face Arsenal after his transfer to Merseyside on deadline day. He was involved in the reverse fixture at Anfield where the Gunners were smashed 4-0 by Klopp's men.
"I think the biggest improvement and potential for him is being involved in goalscoring situations," Klopp said, as quoted by the Guardian. "It is unbelievable but he was not asked for this too much in the past.
"If you watch Arsenal in the past their two decisive players were Özil and Sánchez. They are involved in a lot of moments and decisive passes. Özil or Sánchez, then Giroud when he is coming on the pitch. Then you [the rest] are not much involved.
"Here we put it on more shoulders, much more shoulders. If he is on the pitch he needs to be involved in these situations. At the moment it's all good but I also see there is space for improvement."'
Chamberlain signed a five-year contract worth £120,000 a week when he joined Liverpool. Klopp revealed that no guarantees were made to him regarding his position on the pitch but he is willing to adapt however the team chooses to set up.
"When he came here we spoke about the position," added Klopp. "The only position he didn't want to play is wing-back but just like Milly [James Milner] if you asked him he would still do it. But even that is different here, it depends on the style of play."
