Liverpool will be without Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for most of the 2018/19 season. He leaves a hole in the Reds midfield, so who will fill it in his absence?
Three days ago, it was revealed that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain would miss the majority if not all of the 2018/2019 campaign. This was a devastating blow for not just Alex but the entire Liverpool squad. It also leaves one enormous question, who will take his place?
Oxlade-Chamerberlain was terrific at the end of the year last season. It took him a couple of months to get used to the Liverpool ways under skipper Jurgen Klopp, but when he came into form, he really showed he could play. His dribbling and passing was superb, while he also proved he is a threat to shoot from anywhere outside of the 18-yard box.
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His goal against Man City in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal was one most Liverpool fans will remember for their entire life. It is a shame to see him be out that long with his injury sustained against Roma, but Liverpool will need to find a solution to replace his presence in the midfield.
This presence does not have to be a new player either, actually it is leaning away from that as of now. According to The Echo, Jurgen Klopp was quoted after the Blackburn game saying,
"“We have everything we need for the next season because I don’t think we will do anything more (in the market), I’m pretty sure of that”."
That was more or less regarding the rumored transfer move of Nabil Fekir from Lyon who could have really taken over the number 10 spot in this Liverpool side. So this begs the question, if it is someone already in the Liverpool team, who will it be?
The answer is not that simple, especially under Klopp. As shown last year in the league, Jurgen loves to rotate the team almost every game and try out new groups of players together. By the end of the year, we found a team that played well enough together to lead us to a Champions League Final.
With the signings of Fabinho, Naby Keita, and Xherdan Shaqiri in the offseason, Liverpool definitely have the depth now to rotate the team and give people a shot at winning this position. It really could be a mix of players, but one who stands out is Shaqiri. He is tricky on the ball, he is quick, and will give Liverpool the outside shooting threat they will be missing with the absence of Chamberlain.
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Klopp could also play Mane in the number 10 role, while pushing Shaqiri up and wide as an attacking winger to go along with Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah. Obviously, Keita and Fabinho are also options that Klopp will cycle through at the beginning of the season to see where they play best.
Another player who could make a run at the position is Adam Lallana. Klopp has always been a huge fan of his play, and he never really came into form after a very long injury spell last year. If he can find his way into the lineup and make an impact with our new players, he could become a staple in the midfield.
Not to mention Jurgen is known for giving the Liverpool Academy players shots in the first team. So do not be surprised if Ben Woodburn or Curtis Jones also are able to make their way into a role, much like Trent Alexander-Arnold did last year.
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It is not that Liverpool does not have the quality in midfield to fill Chamberlain’s position but it’s more they are going to miss his specific qualities and the role he provided to the team. Jurgen Klopp will give many players chances at it, but who will take it? We will have to wait and find out.