Does Chamberlain look good in a bad team?

Ox not a top player – metro.co.uk

Arsenal have lost five of their last eight Premier League matches – more than rivals Tottenham, Manchester United and Chelsea have lost all season.

One would have to go back to December 1997 to find the last time Arsenal lost five in a sequence of eight league games. Such atrocious form means the Gunners are likely to miss out on Champions League qualification for the first time in Arsene Wenger’s tutelage.

One of their better players since January has been Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. What he has provided is desire and a willingness to run at opponents, something his teammates have not offered.

However, Oxlade-Chamberlain should not be looked at as a standard for other Arsenal players to aspire to. Equally, he should not be targeted by other top clubs, with Liverpool and Manchester City reportedly interested.

While the Southampton graduate’s attitude may be positive, the quality he provides is less impressive. He burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old in the 11/12 season, having that wonderful game in the 7-1 win over Blackburn and was soon described by Marco Van Basten as a gem.

Six years on, there is little evidence to suggest he has built on that early potential. He still has just nine Premier League goals to his name, perhaps due to questionable decision making and having made more appearances from the bench than by starting in four of his five seasons.

Chamberlain has stood out in this poor Arsenal side for his energy, but that alone doesn’t constitute a top player.