Oxlade-Chamberlain On His Performance, Repaying Wenger & Keeping His Place

Arsenal youngster Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was pleased with his performance against Man Utd on Sunday, but wants to repay the faith shown in him by manager Arsene Wenger by forcing his way in to his plans on a consistent basis. 

Chamberlain was a shining light on what turned out to be another dark day for Arsenal, as he put in an energetic and enthusiastic display but the 18-year-old also showed he has an end product with a lovely assist for Van Persie’s equaliser.

Many Arsenal fans are keen to see more of this kid, myself included, and although Chamberlain admits he was pleased with his own performance, he knows he’s got to put in the hard work on the training pitch in order to keep his place in the side. Speaking to Arsenal.com, Oxe said:

“I was happy to get a start and obviously against opposition like Man United – it doesn’t come any better than that,” Oxlade-Chamberlain told Arsenal Player.

“I guess it does [show Wenger has faith in him] and that is a positive for me to take away, having the boss’ trust. I’ve got to make sure I repay that with my performances, working hard in training and when I’m on the pitch.

“Overall I was happy with my performance and happy to contribute to Robin’s goal. It was positive for me and mentally it puts you in a good position.

“That can always change in football though – you can have one good game and the next game is a bad one. You’ve got to deal with the highs and the lows. It was a nice performance from me and I’ve got to make sure I keep my place now.”

You’ve gotta love this lad. He’s down to earth and knows he has to work hard and he isn’t getting carried away after one good display. Credit also has to go to Arsene Wenger for being brave enough to give him a start against the Champions.

Of course much of the focus has been on Wenger’s decision to take him off, but has anyone given him credit for starting Chamberlain in the first place?