Where Joel Campbell Has The Edge Over The Ox! by AT
As Arsenal went into the game against Bournemouth on Monday in the midst of a tight Christmas schedule, the Gunners boss Arsene Wenger chose to rest a few players. Among those who came into the starting eleven was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who had a good game on the flanks as the Gunners eased past Bournemouth to bounce back from the defeat to Southampton.
After being handed a rare start at the Emirates, the Englishman produced a solid performance and displayed powerful running and great physical strength to be an effective part of the Gunners attack. But as is the case very often, Chamberlain was once again guilty of bad decision-making on a few occasions and showed once again that he needs work on his final ball and on the technical aspects of his game.
For me, this is where Joel Campbell has the edge over the Ox. Now while the Costa Rican also tends to show poor decision-making, he is technically superior to Alex, as we can see by his close-range passing, first touch and deliveries into the box. In addition, he’s not bad with his acceleration and ability to go past defenders either!
But with that being said, these are all aspects that Chambo can definitely improve on. Clearly, he has no problems running at and getting past defenders, it’s what he does after that that is the problem. Surely, with his raw pace and physical strength, he can be a lot more effective should he be able to improve on those aspects of his game.
But for now, I think Campbell is ahead of him in the pecking order for wingers, and rightfully so! But Chamberlain will surely get more opportunities with Premier League games coming thick and fast and the FA Cup coming up as well. Here’s hoping that the English international can seize those imminent opportunities and stride towards becoming the player we all know he can be.
Anurag