Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain hasn’t been able to avoid making headlines these last two weeks. He helped Arsenal achieve an almost respectable score-line against United at the Emirates and in being substituted by Wenger for Andrei Arshavin – a change which backfired spectacularly – became a figurehead for his own supporters to rally round as frustrations boiled over with their own manager. Chamberlain ran United captain Patrice Evra ragged, tricking onto his left and right foot (take note Theo Walcott) and committing players, as he did to set up the fleeting Arsenal equaliser. Arshavin, by contrast, embodied all that is wrong with Arsenal’s current defensive unit, barely moving as Valencia jinked to one side of him and then failing to track Danny Wellbeck, who guided home the winner.
Despite some memorable cameos, scoring in the Champions League and an excellent performance against the blue half of Manchester in the Carling Cup, the United game was Oxlade-Chamberlain’s first start in the Premier League. That Wenger decided to start the England U21 forward in such a match is at odds with his deliberate withholding of first team duties for the 18 year old, with Arshavin retaining his place for most of the season despite little to show from it. Whether it was Wenger’s eventual loss of patience with Arshavin or spotting the ability of the young England starlet to rise to the occasion, the decision looked superbly justified. Chamberlain carried much more of a threat than Walcott and must surely be threatening his place in the Arsenal XI when Gervinho returns from the African Cup of Nations.
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s substitution for the increasingly disinterested Arshavin merely increased the focus on his own performance and led to suggestions that he may have forced his way into the thinking of Fabio Capello. At 18 he already looks technically adept and his confidence on either foot distinguishes him from most of the internationals in the senior national squad. With a raw pace to match Theo Walcott and ferocious ability on the ball there is a sense amongst some that he can match and even surpass the early promise shown by his fellow ex Saint, Theo Walcott.
Certainly on current form there are few English wide players who offer as much threat and Capello’s squad for Ukraine and Poland has few guaranteed spots in midfield. Parker, Wilshire and Gerrard seem nailed on picks, if fit, but wingers this season have failed to consistently impress. Ashley Young looked to have gelled superbly at United but injuries have held him back, whilst at City Adam Johnson doesn’t get enough game time to warrant a place and James Milner is excelling, albeit in a central midfield role. Walcott and Downing have been well of the pace this campaign and Tottenham’s Aaron Lennon too often flatters to deceive and is overlooked by Capello.
Chamberlain, who is yet to be capped at senior level, would be somewhat of a gamble if selected by the pragmatic England head coach. But if any lessons have been learnt from the debacle in South Africa, it is that players must be picked on form and ability, not purported former glories (as England experienced with Upson, Wright-Phillips, Heskey and King in 2010). Unlike Theo Walcott’s selection for the World Cup in Germany, Chamberlain has Premier league games under his belt and at 18 has two years more league experience, two years that are vital in developing as a player and as a person. If England are ever to evolve into a side capable of challenging for major tournaments then Capello needs to usher in a younger breed of talent, players who are quick of thought and quick of foot. Walcott in 2006 was a mistimed gamble; Oxlade-Chamberlain in 2012 might be the start of England’s future.
