Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has said that the Reds are adapting to life without Sadio Mane and with new striker Darwin Nunez in the side.
Mane, 30, headed for the Anfield exit door last summer, having been a key figure in Jurgen Klopp’s side for six seasons. The Senegalese winger made 269 appearances, scoring 120 goals and providing 48 assists, winning the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
Mane joined Bayern Munich for €32 million, and Nunez, 22, arrived as his replacement in a club-record €80 million deal from Benfica. That has seen a different attacking approach set out by Klopp, with Liverpool losing the consistency of years gone by.
The likes of Nunez and Luis Diaz are being used by Klopp in a new-look attack. Oxlade-Chamberlain touched on that when analysing the Reds’ current situation. He told LFCTV:
“I’ve watched Sadio and Mo (Salah) play that position for years, and one thing that they have both done outstandingly well is provide goals for the team. It’s a bit different when Darwin (Nunez) is playing through the middle because he’s such a threat in behind. When Bobby (Firmino) plays that role, he usually drops a bit deeper and fills that half space.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain was played in a winger’s role in Liverpool’s shock 3-1 defeat to Brentford on Monday (January 2). He scored in the loss to the Bees, but that eventually meant nothing, as Klopp’s men slipped to their fifth league defeat of the season.
Oxlade-Chamberlain added:
“That has been my role from there, being the one who drops deep and tries to link but ultimately get up with Darwin and Mo’s pace and get in and around the box. That’s the thing the last few games I’ve been missing, that real goal threat, so it was nice to sort of get that chance and take it tonight – it’s just a shame it doesn’t mean anything.”
