A star in the making
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been riding on a high following his string of impressive performances and he has impressed his manager, his team mates and most importantly, the fans.
The youngster was signed in the summer but the manager introduced him slowly into first team action and used the Carling Cup as a breeding ground for the Ox, as he’s passionately called. Alex hit the ground running with a stunning effort against Shrewsbury Town before putting up stellar performances against Bolton and Manchester City.
He also scored a well-taken goal in his Champions League debut against Olympiakos but he had to wait a while to make his mark in the Premier League. He didn’t have much time to make an impact against Swansea but his withdrawal for Andrey Arshavin in the match against Manchester United caused an uprising amongst the same fans that criticized the manager for signing a relatively unknown youngster for £12m.
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s performance against Blackburn certainly caught the eye and reports are emanating that he has impressed Fabio Capello enough to be selected in the squad that will face the Netherlands on the 29th of February, 2012. The Ox is a versatile winger that’s adept on both flanks but he has been operating from the left when playing alongside fellow speed merchant Theo Walcott.
England’s pre-dominant left wingers Stewart Downing and Ashley Young have struggled for form and fitness this season so the Ox should be in line to stake a claim for a starting berth in the Three Lions with half an eye on the European Championships coming up this summer.
The Gunners came into the party when Arsenal ran riot against Blackburn but King Thierry Henry had the icing on the cake from a deflected effort following a Robin van Persie pass. Arsenal’s captain had sealed a magnificent hat-trick but he chose to feed Henry instead of going for a killer fourth. Van Persie has revealed that he wanted Henry to score:
“It was great because I wanted him to score. He scored a fantastic goal in the FA Cup but I wanted him to score in the Premier League as well. Every single touch I had I was looking for him. I wanted to play him in.”
“And with the last kick of the match, it just happened. The only thing on my mind was passing to Thierry. I wanted him to score and he did.”
Robin van Persie’s hat-trick was enough for him to displace the great Dennis Bergkamp in the Arsenal all-time top scorer’s list but Thierry Henry just increased his Arsenal tally to 228 goals, which is almost two times van Persie’s current tally for Arsenal with stands at 123 goals.
Henry was initially scheduled to spend just six weeks at Arsenal with his final game being the Champions League fixture against AC Milan next week Wednesday. Arsene Wenger is gearing up talks with his current employers New York Red Bulls over an extension that would see him stay at the club till the end of the month.
Henry’s presence at the club has been a big plus since his arrival on and off the pitch and it’s also believed that he has been the secret behind Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s blistering form in recent weeks.
In other Arsenal related news, Arsenal is planning to tour the Far East this summer before coming over to Nigeria. The media Vultures have also reported that the club is interested in Real Madrid’s Sami Khedira and there are plans to sign Schalke 04’s Jefferson Farfan on a free transfer next season.
Sayonara.
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