Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Kieran Gibbs Give Arsene Wenger a Selection Poser

The EFL Cup has long been a proving ground for those on the fringes of the Arsenal squad. Several of manager Arsene Wenger’s squad players shone in the 2-0 victory over Reading, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Kieran Gibbs will be particularly optimistic about their chances of having earned a chance in the forthcoming Premier League match against Sunderland.

Oxlade-Chamberlain was the obvious star of the night after grabbing both Arsenal goals.

First, he drove down the right-hand side, skipping neatly outside his full-back before firing low into the far corner. Then, in the second half, his powerful shot from outside the box took a nick off a defender and flew over the stranded Reading goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi. 

That brace took his tally for the season to five, meaning this is already the highest-scoring season of Oxlade-Chamberlain’s Arsenal career. Given that we’re not yet into November, that has to be regarded as extremely promising—he has a newfound conviction in front of goal.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has always had good shooting technique, but he seemed to be nervous when presented with the opportunity to score. That anxiety has vanished and been replaced by a growing composure. 

Speaking to Arsenal.com after the game, Wenger commented on the improvement in Oxlade-Chamberlain’s finishing:

Sometimes you felt like he didn’t deserve to score when he was in front of goal before. Now, I think he has added some belief to his finishing. Now we have hope that whenever he has the ball, something can happen. He’s powerful but he also finishes well and he’s added that to his game. That’s certainly linked with confidence, hard work in training, and he looks to be following Theo Walcott in that way.

It’s too early to reach any definitive conclusions, but in this recent prolific spell it has felt as if something may have finally clicked for Oxlade-Chamberlain.

For too long he flattered to deceive, producing decent all-round displays that were devoid of end product. The England international has realised that to be a top player, you need to make tangible contributions to the outcome of games. He may well have begun a tantalising transition from mediocre to match-winner.

Crucially, he’s fit. One of his biggest problems in recent seasons—and one of the explanations for his low goal tallies—has been his difficulty remaining healthy. Oxlade-Chamberlain is now …

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