Today a few words about Alex.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored the key goal in last night’s 3-1 victory over Shrewsbury.
At 1-1, he rifled home the 25-yard shot to put Arsenal ahead. He scored with remarkable authority and composure.
AOC is like that. Where other players huff and puff, this lad makes it look easy. He can win games. The fact that he’s 18 doesn’t matter. If they’re good enough, they’re old enough.
“Overall, his presence in the team was very strong in the second half,” said Wenger. “He works hard. There’s still some points to work on with him but you see that he’s not far away and that his time will come.”
Does that mean : I’m thinking of playing him soon?
AOC is an obvious footballer. You see him once and think : This guy can really play. He’s just a good footballer
Mainly, I want to see Alex play with Jack Wilshere.
I’ve been watching football for 50 years and after 10 years I said : the best thing you can do for a good footballer is give him another good footballer to play with.
Create partnerships!
Instant partnerships happen all the time. Neil Warnock took the armband off the maverick Taarabt and gave it to Joey Barton and both midfielders are playing very well together and newly-promoted QPR are above Arsenal.
Warnock, a blunt, pragmatic Northerner, also has many new players who haven’t played together . But QPR started to blend immediately. They’ll improve every week this autumn, I reckon. Traore is looking good at left back : tidy, fiery and quick.
But I digress.
Jack Wilshere and Oxlade-Chamberlain together could be as strong as three players, so that’s what I’d like to see. He’s far better than Theo Walcott – that’s already clear.
This Carling Cup game had started badly for Arsenal when Marvin Morgan hit an inswinging cross from the right and Fabianski froze and james Collins headed in from five yards. Five yards!
Then Djourou blocked a shot that luckily looped just past the far post. Then Gibbs headed in Jenkinson’s deflected cross in 33 for 1-1 at half-time. AOC broke the deadlock in 68 and Benayoun added a third from six yards in 78.
Crowd figure was given as 46,539.
The Carling Cup Fourth Round Draw is on Saturday.