The Daily Mail are continuing with their nonsense, claiming Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is now an Anfield hero and is being loved in ways he never was at Arsenal.

It is, of course, the remit of most fans to believe that the media are biased against them.

Mostly, we’re just paranoid and they have no agenda, but it’s hard to deny the fawning that has happened over Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain since he moved to Liverpool despite not actually doing anything to warrant it.

After Liverpool overcame City to reach the Champions League semi-final, the Ox was once again receiving plaudits for his so-called improvement since leaving Arsenal.

daily mail ox arsenal 11 april 2018
Daily Mail 11 April 2018

Leaving aside the fact that the Ox spent large chunks of his time at Arsenal injured or returning from injury, it seems to me that the Ox has not done anything special since he moved to Anfield.

Sure, he scored that worldie against City in the first leg, but he’s spent the last six years practising long-range efforts. He was bound to get one on target sooner or later.

Three goals and five assists in 33 Premier League games this season is hardly going to win any ‘most improved’ awards, let alone player of the season.

Against City, the Ox recorded a 79.2% pass accuracy and only Sadio Mane (who touched the ball 40% more) and Fernandinho (who touched the ball more than twice as much) had the ball taken from them more than Alex on the night. Zero crosses, zero key passes, zero accurate through balls and just one weak shot on target make up his stats from Tuesday night.

I bear the Ox no ill-will. I do feel he owed Arsenal more loyalty than he showed given how long they stood by his dodgy legs, but he’s gone now and that’s probably for the best all around.

I find it all a bit rich, however, that so many in the press are quick to hail the Ox as a transformed player after just a few months under Jurgen Klopp when he spent so long being developed and nurtured by Arsenal.

Sure, he’d stalled, but when he went to Liverpool he was a player who needed tweaked, not a shambles of a footballer who had been stripped of all talent and denied any sort of guidance for the past six years.

As for him not getting any sort of love from the Arsenal fans, that’s complete and utter nonsense and a weird narrative that the press seem to want to create.

Arsenal fans supported the Ox through some of the worst form you have ever seen from a Premier League footballer and if you have any doubt, I’ll just leave you with this selection of photos and video: