Jurgen Klopp claims he ‘hates himself’ for not playing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for Liverpool vs Southampton
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp made nine changes to his starting XI against Southampton after their FA Cup final win against Chelsea but there was still no sign of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The German manager switched every player in the lineup except Alisson Becker and Ibrahima Konate. He made changes as well, with Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, and Divock Origi all coming on at different points during the game.
But ‘Ox’ was a dejected figure on the sidelines as he warmed the bench for the entirety of the game. Klopp chose to start Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones- both very young- over the former Arsenal star, and it speaks a lot about his thought process regarding Oxlade-Chamberlain.
After the game, Klopp spoke on beIN SPORTS (h/t Express) and admitted that he ‘hated himself’ for not playing the Englishman, who famously came through the academy of Southampton.
“I hate myself for not bringing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on tonight. He is such a good player but you have to figure out how it works together.”
Time to sell the Ox?
He hasn’t played for us since that 1-0 FA Cup quarter-final win against Nottingham Forest, where he was brought off after 64 minutes. Those that watched the game remember how dejected he looked when he saw his number on the fourth referee’s board.
When Klopp brought him in for a whopping £35million back in 2017, Ox was playing a big part for us in our midfield. No one can forget the role he played against Manchester City in the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League win in the knockout stages.
But it has more or less gone downhill for him after that season. Injuries haven’t done him any favours while Thiago Alcantara has effectively become a pinned starter for us in the middle of the park- as he should with the quality that he has.
It may well be time for the Reds to cut their losses on the Englishman. Fabio Carvalho is only going to come in and increase competition in the middle of the park next season while Jones and Elliott will expect to play a bigger role in the senior team.
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With two massive games left this season- one against Wolves and the other against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League- it is likely that we may have seen Oxlade-Chamberlain play his last game for us. That is, of course, subject to change if Klopp finds a reason to play the ex-Gunner this month.
