Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain insists Liverpool should have the belief they can win the title, but once again stressed the need to focus on a game at a time.
The 26-year-old joined in 2017 from an Arsenal side who perennially fell short, with three FA Cup wins on his honour’s sheet in six years.
He is now part of a squad who have reached two Champions League finals, winning one, as well as lifting the Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup, and most importantly challenge regularly for the Premier League.
Oxlade-Chamberlain scored the second goal in Wednesday night’s 2-0 win at West Ham to put the Reds 19 points clear of Man City at the top of the Premier League, with both now having played 24 times.
Fans are now singing “we’re gonna win the league,” and speaking to NBCSN after the game the No. 15 was questioned on whether the squad is starting to believe.
Taking a slightly different approach to his typically cautious team-mates, Oxlade-Chamberlain explained this is the mentality Liverpool require—though he was quick to return to the familiar line of “we’ve just got to keep focusing.”
“When you come to a big club like this you’ve got to believe this is the team to go and win trophies,” he said.
“We’ve had a little bit of experience of that last season with the Champions League, and went close in the league.
“We started this year with that belief but you can’t get carried away, there’s games to go, tough opposition and we haven’t got this far by being complacent.
“We’ve just got to keep focusing on the things that have got us here, respect everyone we go up against and keep trying to get the wins, and we’ll see at the end of the season what happens.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain was candid in his assessment of Liverpool’s performance at the London Stadium, conceding that both team-wide and personally they were sloppy at stages.
He revealed a half-time message that the Reds needed to improve, and his goal provided a fitting landmark on a night that saw them coast to a 23rd win.
It certainly wasn’t a perfect display, as has been the case on a number of occasions of late, but it was yet another comfortable victory.
Jurgen Klopp will no doubt be pleased with Oxlade-Chamberlain’s take, and they will now restore their focus with Southampton to come to Anfield on Saturday.
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