The midfielder speaks about his own improvement and that of the team, but also the constant desire to improve in all aspects of the game
European champions Liverpool may be flying high at the top of the Premier League, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and his team are always striving to improve.
The English midfielder has enjoyed a run of games in the Premier League for Jurgen Klopp’s side and has started the last six games.
Liverpool are 19 points clear at the top with a game in hand on the chasing pack, which they will play against West Ham United at Anfield.
Oxlade-Chamberlain says any talk of winning the league is being shut down, specifically by their captain, Jordan Henderson.
“I look at Jordan Henderson because he’s lifted the European Cup, how much that meant to him, but you wouldn’t have thought he’d lifted anything from the way he is,” he told the Daily Mirror.
“If anyone even utters the words ‘winning the league’ then he shuts them straight down. He’s done it externally as well, he won’t ever let himself get carried away. He’s just so driven, focused on the next game and the next thing.
“That’s how we are as a team and how I am as an individual. My dad built that into me so that I am never too excited by anything that’s going on around you, you’ve got to go onto the next thing to achieve the next target.”
The England international has improved this season under Klopp after recovering from a serious knee injury which kept him out for most of the last campaign.
He has recovered well and has played a major part in Liverpool’s rise to the top of the league, but despite that is still looking to add things to his game, especially goals.
“I feel like I need to do a lot more if I’m being really honest. It’s my best my goalscoring season,” he said.
“But, for me, I haven’t scored enough, I need to get more numbers and I’ve got the perfect base and the perfect team to do more.
“It’s a strange one. I think there are certain things that have definitely suggested I’ve improved. I could see it in my first season here just before I got injured that things were going in the right way and it felt like I was a big part of a team going in the right direction collectively.
“That’s the environment we are in and I don’t know if that’s what we’ve built as a team or that’s the way I feel about myself, but I wouldn’t look at this season and clearly say I’ve taken a big step forward because in my eyes I need to do a lot more.
“I feel I need to do keep pushing to keep up with the rest of this team and everyone around to be a part of this. The only thing I can say is that I feel I have taken a step forward from two or three years ago because I’m now getting more minutes consistently.
“I think I’ve started six Premier League games in a row and it sounds funny but I can’t really remember me doing that before. I don’t think i ever did that at Arsenal . Look back and check but I don’t think I did. But I genuinely can’t remember playing that regularly.”
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