Arsenal vs. Liverpool: Eyes on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

We all knew this day would come, when reporters ask an already tetchy Arsene Wenger about his former player, who has now had several excellent games under the tutelage of Jürgen Klopp. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain may have had a bit of a slow start (especially compared to our other big summer signing), but he seems to be settling in at Anfield beautifully. His performance last weekend was exhilarating and proof that he has come into his own in midfield. And it feels very much like this is just the beginning for him.

Which makes the inevitable question posed to both managers ahead of the Arsenal and Liverpool clash so much more charged, I suppose. Wenger, like a lot of Arsenal fans, is skeptical about whether Ox has actually improved enough to have secured a starting spot at Anfield: something he was sorely missing while at Arsenal.

“Is he sure of a place there? You are sure of a place nowhere,” said the Frenchman. “In a big club you have big competition with some good players. That is absolutely normal. What do you want to be, a big player and not have to fight? You can’t be a big player, sit in your rocking chair and say 'I do not want to fight'. It doesn’t work like that. Every player has to fight.”

But Wenger also admits that the player will continue to improve at Anfield, something Klopp is in full agreement with.

"He is just on a good way; [he's] a good lad, I'm happy to have him around, he's fantastic in the dressing room and he's really, really good on the pitch as well so that makes him a nice package," Klopp added.

Yeah it does, Klopp.