12 months on from winning promotion with Southampton to the Npower Championship, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is enjoying a rather different success-story, after having been included in Roy Hodgson’s England squad for this summer’s European Championships. Despite many people calling for his inclusion on the back of some excellent performances, his limited playing time meant it still came as a surprise when he was picked over the likes of Aaron Lennon and Daniel Sturridge. Up until we have answers, people will continue to question whether he is ready for the big-time, and whether he has a role to play in England’s hunt for a second major trophy.
Roy Hodgson has come under a lot of criticism for sticking with many of the older generation of England players and not giving people with little international exposure the chance to gain some invaluable tournament experience. And if given the chance, this could be the making of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Along with Jack Wilshere and the likes of Phil Jones, both of whom who have featured for England in recent times, the Arsenal teenager is set to be an integral part of England’s future and therefore deserves the chance to show what he can do on the biggest stage of them all. In his sporadic performances this season, Chamberlain has shown a refreshing lack of fear, a desire to try something out of the ordinary and seems immune from the fear culture which has hampered English national sides for the last couple of decades, a rare trait in players which should be exploited rather than feared itself.
The nature of his inclusion has led to many drawing comparisons between Chamberlain and his Arsenal team-mate Theo Walcott’s selection for the 2006 World Cup, but while Walcott failed to feature in Germany, there appear a number of reasons which suggest that Chamberlain will not suffer the same fate. First and foremost, in 2006, Walcott had not featured in a Premier League game, whereas his team-mate has, in his debut season, played in the Premier League and Champions League, the pinnacle of European club football. And while the youthful Gunner is still short of so called ‘big-game’ experience, his unflinching performances have been remarkable. He has shown few signs of being over-awed by any occasion, particularly shining in Arsenal’s second leg victory over AC Milan. Secondly and perhaps more importantly, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is a much better player than Theo Walcott was 6 years ago. His footballing intelligence, alongside ability to beat defenders and create something out of nothing make him a much more rounded player than Walcott was, and some would argue still is.
Whether he is given this opportunity is also dependent on the competition for places, of course. Hodgson included James Milner, Ashley Young and Stewart Downing alongside Arsenal’s Walcott and Chamberlain. The latter offers attacking versatility which will be key for England if they are in need of a plan B due to injuries or being behind. And while he may not possess the pace or be as direct as the likes of Walcott and Downing with the ball, his ability to retain possession and play infield should mean he plays a significant role in Poland and Ukraine.
While the likes of Rooney and Van Persie will be the headline names prior to EURO 2012, these tournaments more often than not unearth new talents rather than display that of the famed. Ronaldinho, Asamoah Gyan and most recently Thomas Mueller would testify that these tournaments can turn someone from near unknown quantities to some of the sought after players in World Football.
Indeed, much like Chamberlain, Thomas Mueller went to his first tournament, the 2010 World Cup, as an uncapped player. He ended up winning the golden boot, scoring 5 goals on his way to becoming one of the key figures of a Germany team which ultimately finish 3rd in South Africa. But while Chamberlain and Mueller have very different styles, let’s hope for England’s sake, that they can have very similar influences.
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