3 Changes Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain Must Make to Get Arsenal Career Back on Track

At the start of next season, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will turn 23. This summer will also mark five years since he joined Arsenal. Despite flashes of promise, his progress in that period hasn't lived up to expectation, and there are now question marks over his future with the club.

This season, Oxlade-Chamberlain was named in Arsene Wenger’s starting XI for the first game of the Premier League season. That was an indication of the Arsenal boss’ willingness to integrate the youngster into his team. However, a combination of injuries and poor form have seen him tumble from contention. 

There has even been speculation of late that he could be a target for Manchester City’s new boss, Pep Guardiola. Henry Winter of The Times reported that the incoming manager could seek to lure Oxlade-Chamberlain to the Etihad Stadium.

If Oxlade-Chamberlain is serious about saving his Arsenal career, there are certain steps he needs to take to improve his chances. In this piece, we identify three definitive changes he could make to help secure his place in the Gunners squad.

Pick a Position 

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One of the problems Oxlade-Chamberlain has faced is the uncertainty over his best position. He is capable of filling a variety of roles and has lined up for Arsenal as a winger on both flanks, a holding player, a box-to-box midfielder and even a No. 10.

Versatility can be a great asset to a player. However, it can also be something of a hindrance. It’s difficult to establish a rhythm when you are constantly being shunted around the field to plug different gaps. 

Wenger said at the start of the year, per Goal, he believes Oxlade-Chamberlain’s best position is in central midfield in a 4-3-3:

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He has the attributes to play in central midfield, he has that important quality—a little surge to get out of pressure.

One of the things to get out of pressure is to have a little dribble to get away from the guy who closes you down, and nobody more than Chamberlain has that.  

That is why he could be suited for the modern game to play in there because he has that capacity to get out of the pressure. He is really suited to be right-sided, box-to-box in a 4-3-3; he really fits in there. 

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However, that is a role that also requires a measure of defensive responsibility, and that’s where Oxlade-Chamberlain tends to come up short. He is prone to making unforced errors at the back, so deploying him in a position in which part of his role is to screen the back four seems somewhat counterintuitive.

For now, the position that suits him most seems to be the right wing. There, he is freed up to use his pace and power to attack. What’s more, the inherent riskiness of his game poses less of a problem for his defence when he is stationed higher up the field.

Wenger may believe Oxlade-Chamberlain could be a central midfielder in the long run, but he does not seem ready for it yet. He should therefore try to focus on holding down one position where he can steadily improve.

Work on His End Product

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If Oxlade-Chamberlain is to play in the front three, he needs to be more productive than he is at present. 

It’s something he’s known he has to do from an early age. Back in 2012, he told the Arsenal team website: 

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I scored a few goals at [former club] Southampton, but it’s a big area of an attacker’s game and it’s one I’ve always wanted to work on particularly. When I was younger I scored quite a lot but that dropped off as I got older and went into midfield. It’s something I always look to bring to my game—and if I can’t score then at least I can set somebody else up.

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Unfortunately, he has not been able to be particularly efficient in the final third. According to Squawka, his 22 Premier League appearances this season have yielded just one goal and one assist, which is a poor return for a player in an attacking position.

It’s strange because Oxlade-Chamberlain seems to have all the requisite attributes to produce goals. He has speed, skill, creativity and even a powerful shot. However, what he lacks is composure—that vital ability to make time stand still inside the penalty box. All too often, he rushes and makes the wrong decision. Worryingly, that hasn’t dramatically improved with time. 

Oxlade-Chamberlain must get over his nerves in the final third and begin to make the most of chances or he’ll never be able to hold down a regular place in the Arsenal side.

Improve His Overall Fitness 

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Oxlade-Chamberlain is sidelined with a knee injury that forced him to limp out of the first leg of the UEFA Champions League tie with Barcelona.

Sadly for the England international, that’s an all too familiar story. Given a fantastic chance to shine, he was forced off by physical problems.

According to PhysioRoom.com, since joining the Gunners in 2011, Oxlade-Chamberlain has suffered 18 separate injuries. Many of those have been related to the groin and hip areas, but he’s also endured some fairly serious knee problems.

No one would blame the player for his ill fortune with injuries. However, it is his responsibility to work with the Arsenal medical staff to try to discover the underlying cause of his problems. He suffers so systematically that it cannot be purely bad luck. It’s time to investigate every possibility and go the extra mile to ensure he can remain fit throughout the campaign.

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If Oxlade-Chamberlain cannot stay fit, he is going to struggle to improve. At the moment, it looks as if he may suffer the same fate as Jack Wilshere, who also has enormous unexpressed potential. 

When Wenger is building his squad, he needs to do so around players he can depend upon. Oxlade-Chamberlain is both technically and physically unreliable. Those elements have to change if he is to remain part of Wenger’s plans moving forward.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and is following the club from a London base throughout 2015/16. Follow him on Twitter here.