Can Oxlade-Chamberlain become Arsenal’s new Victor Moses?

With the weight of the world on the team’s shoulders, Arsenal managed to grab an emphatic 2-1 win over Manchester City in the semi-final of the FA Cup. As expected, the Gunners boss Arsene Wenger stuck with new back-three system and the move once again paid dividends as the Arsenal players dug deep and produced a victory, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain once again producing a man of the match performance in his new wing-back role.

While there were some splendid performances in an Arsenal shirt all over the pitch, the Englishman once again stood out. In fact, it was his dynamic running early in the second half that kickstarted Arsenal’s revival and sure enough, his inch-perfect cross picked out Nacho Monreal at the far post which led to the Gunners’ equaliser. Despite not being the most natural defender, his tireless work-rate supplements the wing-back role and he has the pace to recover as well.

When I look at how well the 24-year-old has adapted to the role of a wing-back, it is easy to draw a comparison with Victor Moses of Chelsea. Prior to Antonio Conte’s arrival at Stamford Bridge, the Nigerian was always on the fringes of the team since his move to West London and even had to go out on loan as previous managers deemed him surplus to requirements. But once Conte shifted to the back-three system, Moses became first-choice at right wing-back and has made the position his own with some flawless performances.

Likewise, I believe Arsene Wenger shifting to the same system has rejuvenated the Ox and should he maintain fitness and consistency, there is no reason why the the former Southampton youngster cannot have the same impact at the Emirates. While it is still early days considering that he has played just two games in the new system, there is no doubt that the player has everything it takes to succeed in that role and finally become a mainstay in this Arsenal team.

Anurag

7 Comments

  1. Ox from top central midfielder to top wing back in one season! Where will he be next? Top left back?

  2. Lets remember he has one year left on his contract. Lets hope he extends his stay. I think the writing is on the wall now for Hector. If the Ox stays, stays consistant in new formation and is happy to play there then a cool £40 million for Hector would go down a treat.

  3. What about Bellerin though. He’s gonna come back in at some stage so I can’t see us keeping this system and keep Ox and Bellerin happy, unless we could have them on opposite wings. If Bellerin sits on the bench for too long he’ll be off to Barca, Ox won’t sign if he gets displaced for no reason. When you look at it like this it’s difficult to keep this system and keep wide players happy.

  4. I reckon in this system Ox could easily play as a wing back, possibly on the left too? Is he not ambidextrous, if I’m not mistaken? (Maybe I am lol)
    Ox could also play CM or in the attacking/wide role in place of Alexis or Ozil. Although having him specialise in one role is ideal, at least this way he will still get plenty of playing time

  5. I want to see the Ox running things in the middle. Bellerin is a more natural wing back because he was already converted from winger to full back, but he needs to learn the position. He looked out of his comfort zone on Sunday. For the time being Gibbs and Monreal can alternate on the left. For the last two months the Ox has been our best player, wherever he played.

Comments are closed

Top Blog Sponsors