Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: 5 Reasons Arsenal Prodigy Should Gatecrash Euro 2012

Theo Walcott has once again edged ahead in the battle to be Arsenal’s favorite young English ex-Southampton winger.

With two and a half scintillating performances in the space of two weeks, Walcott has earned rave reviews for his huge impact—and the whispers that he is finally fulfilling his undisputed potential are turning into loud calls.

Provided that he keeps up such imperious form and stays injury-free, Walcott’s pace and directness should ensure that he gets onto the plane for this summer’s Euro 2012 tournament.

So should Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Having impressed for Arsenal as an impact substitute during the first few months of his career at the Emirates, Oxlade-Chamberlain has really come to the fore in recent weeks, and has shown enough quality that the calls for his inclusion this summer are increasing by the week.

Stuart Pearce—or England’s full-time manager in the summer—would ignore Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at his peril.

Here are five reasons why Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain should gatecrash England’s squad for the Euros—and, as usual, feel free to have your say in the comments below.

Fearlessness on the Big Stage

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain hasn’t played too many first-team games for Arsenal.

But consider this quick summary of his rapid rise to the top.

He scored on his European debut against Olympiakos after only eight minutes, and became the youngest Englishman ever to score in the Champions League.

He started his first Premier League game in the capitulation against Manchester United, but his withdrawal was met with boos from the Arsenal fans.

He scored his first two Premier League goals in a 7-1 rout of Blackburn.

And he won a penalty and claimed an assist in a performance of the highest order in a near-miraculous comeback against none other than Italian league leaders AC Milan in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Far from the prototypical hot-and-cold young prospect, Oxlade-Chamberlain has found an instant home in the highest levels of club football, and his fearlessness and unparalleled confidence will ensure that he will relish the big stage of international football in the years to come.

A Complete Attacking Package

But what makes Oxlade-Chamberlain such a success at such levels?

Well, it’s probably easy to make a considerable impact when you have the arsenal of skills that the Ox has at his disposal.

He has all the ingredients an attacker needs to succeed at the highest levels: pace, power, physical strength, dribbling, creativity, flair, eye for goal, work ethic, team play.

And he’s versatile too—equally comfortable behind the striker, on the wings, or, as he is being groomed, in the center of midfield.

Most impressive has been the speed at which he has already adapted to top-level football—we must remember that he only joined Arsenal last summer.

If as seasoned a midfield as Milan’s couldn’t handle him, how many can keep him in their back pockets?

A Breath of Fresh Air for England

Let’s face it: The Golden Generation might have been fearsome on paper, but in terms of results it was anything but.

With England currently facing an identity crisis as it tries to settle on a good mix of youth and experience, the new crop of English stars will be assigned the unenviable task of shedding the old guard and taking England forward.

A spine is already in place: Joe Hart, Kyle Walker/Micah Richards, Phil Jones/Chris Smalling and Jack Wilshere/Tom Cleverley.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain should quickly be added into that list.

His aforementioned array of attacking skills makes him a whole different breed to England’s new talents, and would provide a devastating outlet in a variety of positions.

Impact for the U21 Side

Interim England manager Stuart Pearce called up a group of his trusted U21 charges for the recent friendly match against the Netherlands.

Looking at other successful international sides across the globe, a standard model has been a gradual progression of U21 stars into the senior team, where the teamwork and understanding developed at the more junior level automatically translates onto the biggest stages.

England’s new approach seems to be in this vein, and Oxlade-Chamberlain has certainly made a splash in the U21 scene already.

With four goals in just eight appearances for the England U21s, he is far from the most experienced component in Pearce’s setup, but his impact on this age group despite being 18 himself is certainly impressive and merits consideration for the full squad.

While Pearce wants to scrap the tradition of an initial 30-man squad to undergo a “selection process” before picking a final 23, Oxlade-Chamberlain would certainly be a player who could use the pre-tournament friendlies to stake his claim.

A Deserved Reward for His Form

Much as out-of-form players deserve to be dropped from their national teams, in-form players should be considered for call-ups.

For too long the England setup has been plagued with accusations that managers have had their own undroppable players, that some players are automatically included no matter their club forms.

Besides the fact that Oxlade-Chamberlain possesses all the abilities needed to succeed at the highest level, he has also proved his quality to club manager Arsene Wenger, who has started to rely heavily on his young prodigy.

The Ox has responded with some fine performances, and if he manages to sustain his level of recent weeks, it will be hard for the England manager to resist calls from players, club coaches, fans and the media to include him in the Euro squad.

Conclusion

The Ox’s last-minute inclusion might seem similar to Theo Walcott’s surprise place in Sven-Goran Eriksson’s final 23-man World Cup squad in 2006, when Walcott was still a precocious 16-year-old.

But it is a markedly different situation this time around.

Walcott had had no experience in top-flight football by the time he traveled to Germany, while Oxlade-Chamberlain has adapted to life in both the Premier League and the Champions League with consummate ease.

The Arsenal No. 15 is also a much more physically mature player than Walcott was in 2006.

Simply put, all the above factors point to the same conclusion: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain should gatecrash England’s Euro 2012 squad.

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