On his new position, Villa’s victory, and Robbo’s record, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

The No. 15 started the 3-1 victory at Villa Park on the left of the Reds’ front three, with Mohamed Salah in his usual position on the right and Darwin Nunez in the centre.

He then went into depth about the pre-game instructions Jürgen Klopp and his coaching staff had given him.

Oxlade-Chamberlain told Liverpoolfc.com, “I think I did OK.” “I simply sought to ensure that I completed the defensive task for the squad. It’s new and we’re doing it a little bit differently, obviously playing out on the left.

“I believe that when Bobby plays up front, he is the one who drops in deep. However, when Darwin and Mo stretch it, I have to be the one who sort of lowers in deep from the front line, then has to get up and support as well. I thought I did okay in the first half.

“I would have loved to be able to influence the game a little bit more at times, but in that moment [in the] first 10 minutes of the second half it was a little hard to control the press.

We lost a little bit of the game’s control because we were countering, which caused it to go rather end to end. We fellas up front were doing a lot of running forward at that point, but it wasn’t working, so we were running back, and it became a little hectic.

In conclusion, I would say that [his performance] was passable, adequate to begin with, and could have been better.

Continue reading Oxlade-portion Chamberlain’s of our post-game interview below.

On the importance of the win…

We performed admirably in the first half, at least admirably enough, and I believe we dominated overall. They occasionally demonstrated their potential for danger, but overall, I believe we had the better of the play in the first half, and [scoring] two goals was certainly significant. Then, after having a sizable advantage at the break, it was upsetting to see how we may have played in the second half.

We expected them to come out incredibly hungry and put pressure on us, and they did just that; perhaps we didn’t respond to that effectively enough.They obviously score the goal, and it’s sort of, “Make sure you get through that time of momentum” and we did, so that was nice. I think the game got a little frenzied and we lost a little bit of control of the game. Then, of course, Stefan enters the game and scores the third goal, effectively ending the match. After that, you begin to view the match differently and realise that it may have seemed a little more at ease than it actually was, especially during the first fifteen minutes of the second half.

On the team showing resilience to resist Villa’s pressure and claim the three points…

We didn’t start the season well enough and then gave ourselves a lot of work to do, looking back on how the first half of the season played out. I believe that today was the exact opposite: we had a game plan and we stuck to it, with a few brief instances of inattention when we allowed them a few chances early on, but overall it was really excellent.

We started really well, with a lot of intensity, pressed well, and we had a game plan. But there will be moments when you feel under pressure, especially in the Premier League; these moments occur in every single game;I find it a little upsetting when it occurs right after halftime because you might assume that because of the break, our focus wavered and we didn’t give it our all when we returned to the game. Therefore, that is something that we should examine and work on.

Regarding Andy Robertson breaking the previous mark for the most assists by a defender in the Premier League…

Overall, though, I believe we did well to manage and ultimately limit them to one goal given the number of crosses they were putting into the box and the pressure they were applying to us in the opening 10 or 15 minutes [of the second half]. It’s a little bit harder once that goal is scored, but it’s nice that we just gave up that one before regaining the initiative. Stefan did a great job to come on and score that goal, as I mentioned earlier, and Darwin gives us a great outlet on the break.

At that point, it becomes a little bit simpler for us, but overall, I believe it was a battle we needed to simply show up for and fight until the finish. We were aware that it wouldn’t be simple. They’ve definitely hired a new boss, and he gives his teams excellent training. At the end of the day, three points away is ideal because we anticipated that they would be well-organized and challenging.

He is skilled at it. His numerical data speaks to me. He’s been outstanding. He has obviously demonstrated his ability to put crosses into the box for years, but I believe it is his intensity. We focused on it in the first half so that I could come inside more and make it harder for them to have to remain with Robbo, who was having a great time. Ali’s energy is what puts him into those situations to then throw crosses in, and with Mo and Darwin flying into the box that’s what makes him get all these assists. I can recall Ali from a goalkick put one in behind early on. Yes, he has undoubtedly been brilliant for a long time.