Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp backing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to get among the goals as midfielder prepares for return to old club Arsenal

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Jurgen Klopp wants to turn Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in to the free-scoring midfielder he feels the Liverpool star should be.

Oxlade-Chamberlain returns to Arsenal for the first time on Friday as the club he joined in the summer head to north London for the first game of the festive Premier League programme.

Asked about Oxlade-Chamberlain at his press conference, Liverpool manager Klopp said: ‘I think the biggest improvement and potential is being involved in goal scoring situations.

Jurgen Klopp was full of praise for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in his Liverpool press conference

‘It is unbelievable but he was not asked for this too much in the past.

‘If you watch Arsenal in the past the past their two decisive players were Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez. They are involved in a lot of moments and decisive passes. Always Ozil or Sanchez.

‘So then you are not much involved. Then Olivier Giroud when he is coming on the pitch.

‘Here we put it on more shoulders, much more shoulders. If Alex is on the pitch he needs to be involved in these situations. At the moment I am fine. It’s all good.

‘There is a lot of space for improvement as well. It’s all good.’

Oxlade-Chamberlain is preparing to face his old club Arsenal for the first time since leaving

Klopp says the England midfielder is 'unbelievable' in goalscoring situations for Liverpool

Klopp made it clear that he was not criticising the 24-year-old but the statistics show that he only ever scored nine league goals for Arsenal. When he arrived at Anfield one of the things he hoped he had seen the back of playing as a wing-back.

Klopp added: ‘He did well from the first day. I know how it is if you are a kind of a big signing. Everyone expects you immediately to perform on the pitch.

‘But it’s difficult, a lot of things are difficult. You cannot just play a little bit, and you don’t know your team-mates.

‘He knew some from the national team, but it is all different.

‘I was happy since the first day with his attitude and involvement. Since then he became more and more a Liverpool player.' 

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