Why Liverpool and Arsenal are so different — Oxlade-Chamberlain

“We just knew we would win the big games at Liverpool, but at Arsenal we always had a mental block on big games,” — Alex Oxlade Chamberlain.

In a recent interview with The Athletic, former Arsenal and Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has shed light on what he believes to be the most significant contrast in mentality between the two Premier League clubs.

Oxlade-Chamberlain, who left Arsenal for Liverpool in a high-profile transfer in 2017, went on to achieve considerable success during his six-year tenure at Anfield, including Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, and League Cup titles.

However, his perspective on the mentality within the two clubs is revealing.

“At Arsenal, we always went into those big games thinking, ‘This is going to be really tough,'” Oxlade-Chamberlain remarked.

This perspective is a stark contrast to what he experienced at Liverpool, where he noted,

“Even in the first season (2017-18) when we were a bit of an unknown entity, there was this unbelievable complete and utter focus where there was nothing else happening but us winning the game.

“I don’t know why, but at Liverpool, the big games, we just knew we were going to win.”

Reflecting on his time at Arsenal, Oxlade-Chamberlain acknowledged that the North London club had its share of success, winning FA Cups, but he couldn’t help but express some regrets.

He commented,

“We won FA Cups, but we probably never achieved what we should have done. We had unbelievable quality.

“Football-wise we had everything we needed to do the business. We were just missing… Belief? Toughness? Ruthlessness? I don’t know. Maybe it was a bit of that.”

One particular moment of disappointment that Oxlade-Chamberlain singled out from his Arsenal career was the 2015-16 Premier League season when Leicester City remarkably clinched the title.

He recalled,

“We were top in January, and the other so-called big teams weren’t doing well that year. But we dropped the ball in games we should have won.”