The Rise and Rise of Alex Oxlade Chamberlain

After the 8-2 humiliation at Old Trafford Shebby Singh said - " Arsene Wenger should learn from Alex Ferguson, they (Man Utd) needed a replacement for Ryan Giggs and they signed Ashley Young, whereas Arsenal needed replacements for Nasri and Fabregas and they signed Alex Chamberlain. This just sums up Arsenal's season."

Well the development of Chamberlain has made Shebby Singh eat his words back. He has come as a ray of hope in what was till January a disappointing season. Chamberlain came to Arsenal as a raw talent from Southampton with Wenger needing to pay £12m for him, the second highest signing fee for an Arsenal player till date. With the price tag he carried with himself every Arsenal fan wondered what must have made Arsene pay that amount for a young player. Well we know now why we paid £12m for him.

Chamberlain is fast and confident on the ball, he likes to run at his man and has a powerful shot and a good footballing brain. How is he different from Walcott ? Very different. 'The OX' as he is regarded by the fans has a physical tenacity and powerful playing style. Walcott runs away from the defenders with his pace whereas OX runs into the defenders and makes them commit mistakes. He is stocky ,plays direct football and a powerful midfielder. He cannot not only cause havoc down the wings but also create problems in the central midfield area, the game against Milan at the Emirates is an example for that. His decision making in the final third , awareness and tracking back ability is definitely better than Theo. Wenger bought him OX to play alongside Walcott and not to replace him, whereas the fans thought the other way round. Be it whatsoever, I don't think i'd be wrong to say that the teenager has coaxed the best out of Walcott.

He has lifted the team with his dazzling and entertaining performances , be it at Milan in a central role or against Blackburn on the right hand side or against Man Utd on the left side. He has proved that he can play at this best at any position the manager wants him to play. He has cemented his place in the Arsenal line up. With Van Persie comparing him to Wayne Rooney, I don't think I'd be wrong to say that he can be our next center forward. He has made big steps in past few months and has improved very quickly. He is a fighter as well, with his personality and is much more mature now.

I think we should be calm with him and not rush him, he has shown pure class and determination. But we don't want to see what happened to Wilshere (Injury) also happen to The OX. He is playing at the highest level in scintillating form but we need to be patient cause as a player he will have his ups and downs and we need to support him throughout his career.

Are you watching England? With all the performances he has put up, I'm sure he deserves a call for the EURO 2012. If he doesn't then the England FA definitely need 3D glasses. Marco Van Basten has also termed him as a GEM to English football. I'm sure he'll be there making England proud and also Arsenal.

The future looks bright for Arsenal and we can sense that trophy drought ending soon and we know Chamberlain has an integral role to play in the years to come. He will in seasons to come be our main man and a nightmare for the opponents. From a young live wire and a raw talent to a mature and an outstanding midfielder, YES it is the rise and rise of Alex Oxlade Chamberlain.