Arsenal
Raheem Sterling Vs Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – A Comparison On EPL’s Most Promising Youngsters
English football looks to be in safe hands with many youngsters making a mark in recent times from various clubs. Two such players are definitely Raheem Sterling of Liverpool and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain of Arsenal. Both have played well for their respective clubs garnering the attention of everyone and have rightly earned their places in the English squad. So we have decided to take a comparative look between the two future stars and find out who have made a better impression at such an early stage of their career.
Raheem Sterling
Among many other contributions of Rafa Benitez, Sterling will remain one of his most vital findings for the club. Signed from QPR, this fifteen year old lad soon cut into the Liverpool youth teams and it was in early 2012, that Sterling was put to the first team by new manager Brendan Rodgers. He soon displayed his all round skills and quite became the talk of the town. Soon he came to the notice of his England manager and finally in November 2012, he made his England debut in a friendly match against Sweden. Until now, he has been quite a regular feature in the Liverpool side, showcasing his talent from both sides of the pitch and forming a very productive partnership with Suarez, raking in a number of goals.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Bought from Southampton in 2011 for £15million, this youngster found many admirers in his first season for his performance with the Gunners. In the match against Champion’s League match against AC Milan, he reached the peak of his short career and many, including Van Persie and Van Basten hailed him as the future of Arsenal and England. The previous season, such was his progress, that he was nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year and was the youngest player to earn the nomination. Although, this season has not been as ravishing as the previous season, still he has enough potential in him to guide his club to Champions League spot, which looks a tad difficult right now.
Statistics
If a comparative study of the statistics of Raheem Sterling and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain are made, then the following conclusions can be drawn.
Raheem Stering’s Statistics
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s Statistics
From these two tables, it can be seen that there is not much of a difference between the two players statistics wise. But the main point to note is that Brendan Rodgers has put more faith in Sterling than Wenger has put in Chamberlain. This fact is highlighted by the number of games that both the players have featured in. While Sterling has 22 games to his credit this season, Chamberlain has just 16 games under his name. In terms of chances created, Sterling leads Chamberlain by 35 to 12. In the shot accuracy section it is Sterling who has 55% of accuracy while Chamberlain lags behind at 36%, not so good a rate for an aggressive midfielder.
Work rate
Till now both the players have not shown a great tendency to drop back and assist the defenders in times of needs, but this may be credited to their tender age. For wide forwards, Sterling has shown more knack to move centrally and go in a scoring position. On the other hand, Chamberlain has provided crosses into the box more frequently, although they have not been the most accurate at times. But we can assume in course of time, both will develop a habit to drop back and given Chamberlain’s physical advantage over Sterling, he is sure to outdo his England counterpart in this department.
Popularity
Sterling is sure to score more on the popularity metre, given the ecstasy surrounding him after he renewed his contract with Liverpool. The fans view him as a great achievement of the youth system which suffered a drought after producing some fine players in Gerrard and Owen. Chamberlain does not enjoy this kind of luxury at Arsenal where he is yet another talented youngster apart from Wilshere, Ramsey and Jenkinson. But with a repeat performance of his match against Milan last season, he should be right back among the fan favourites and hype around him should automatically be on the vertical slope.
Conclusion
Although it is too early to draw any conclusions at the moment, it seems like the progress Chamberlain made last season has somehow stalled and he is currently suffering to cope up with the team. Sterling on his part has played quite an important role for his team this season and if he improves some features of his game successfully like dribbling and one-two with other players, he can be up there with the best. Both the players have tremendous potential in them and it would be interesting to see how they exploit their talent and guide their club and nation to glory.
Arsenal Dragon
Renee Slegers Confirms The Position Arsenal Women Are Looking To Sign a Player From in January Transfer Window
Renee Slegers has confirmed Arsenal will sign a goalkeeper in January after revealing Daphne van Domselaar will miss the remainder of 2025 with a quad tendon issue, leaving the club relying on debutant Anneke Borbe and teenager Amy Liddiard.
The Arsenal boss made the admission during Friday’s press conference ahead of Saturday’s clash with Liverpool, where summer signing Borbe will make her full debut with 17-year-old Liddiard providing backup from the bench.
Van Domselaar requires an injection for her quad tendon problem and won’t return until the new year, compounding Arsenal’s goalkeeper crisis. Manuela Zinsberger is already out for the season after rupturing her ACL in October, one of 17 players across the WSL to suffer knee injuries during that month alone.
“We Need Three Goalkeepers Available”
Asked directly if Arsenal want to sign a goalkeeper in January, Slegers didn’t hesitate. “Yes, definitely, because Manu is out and Daphne has been managing issues, so we’re definitely looking,” she said.
“We’re definitely looking at that position because we think we need a really strong goalkeeper union with three goalkeepers available and we’re not in that situation at the moment so we’ll have to solve that for the second half of the season.”
Arsenal have also been linked with Swedish right-back Smilla Holmberg as they look to strengthen multiple positions during the winter window.
Chloe Kelly Adds to Injury Woes
The goalkeeper situation isn’t Arsenal’s only injury concern for Saturday’s noon kick-off. Chloe Kelly suffered a knee injury on England duty against Ghana on Tuesday and will miss the Liverpool match. Like van Domselaar, Kelly could be unavailable until the new year.
Katie Reid and Michelle Agyemang (on loan at Brighton) have also suffered season-ending ACL injuries this campaign, highlighting the brutal injury toll Arsenal have endured.
Slegers Dismisses Dressing Room “Unrest” Reports
Slegers was also asked about The Athletic’s report claiming the dressing room has been “splintered for many years” with some players “wielding significant influence” and underlying tension between squad members.
The Arsenal boss firmly rejected the narrative. “We won the Champions League, historically we are the most successful club in England, there is noise on the outside, there will always be noise, but on the inside we know what we are doing,” she responded.
“I didn’t agree with it and I think it is unfortunate that this is what is written about us while we are doing so many good things and a lot of people invested in the process.”
Also read: Arsenal Women vs. Liverpool Women: Predicted Lineups + Match Preview
Arsenal face their toughest test of the season as they travel to Villa Park, where Aston Villa have been nearly impenetrable. The Gunners hold a six-point advantage over third-placed Villa, but their defensive injury crisis threatens to derail their title momentum.
Kick-off: 12:30 GMT, Saturday, December 6, 2025
Venue: Villa Park
Referee: Michael Oliver
TV: TNT Sports 1
Form Guide
Arsenal ran out 2-0 winners in this exact fixture last season, with goals from Trossard and Thomas Partey settling matters at Villa Park. However, Villa dealt a seismic blow to Arsenal’s title bid with a 2-0 away victory in mid-April 2024, helping Manchester City to win the league. A 2-2 draw at the Emirates last January again stunted Arsenal’s championship pursuit.
Villa have been in exceptional form, winning seven of their last eight games across all competitions. They showed character in midweek to claim a 4-3 win over Brighton, despite trailing 2-0 after half an hour. Ollie Watkins enjoyed a welcome return to form, netting twice in the first half. At home, Villa have won five of their seven fixtures this season and are unbeaten in their last 25 Premier League home games.
Arsenal maintained their five-point lead at the top with a 2-0 win over Brentford in midweek. Goals from Mikel Merino and Bukayo Saka extended their unbeaten run to 18 matches across all competitions. However, the match came at a cost with injuries to Declan Rice and Cristhian Mosquera.
Team News
Arsenal’s defensive crisis has reached alarming levels. Gabriel Magalhaes suffered a thigh problem while representing Brazil during the November international break and could be missing for up to two months. William Saliba has missed the last two matches after suffering a knock in training, though Arteta confirmed it should be “a matter of days” before his return.
Cristhian Mosquera was forced off before half-time against Brentford with an ankle injury and is set to miss 6 to 8 weeks of football. Declan Rice also limped off late on with a calf issue, though the midfielder told Sky Sports he is “fine” and expects to be available. Leandro Trossard could return from a muscle injury, with Arteta confirming he should be back within “a matter of days.” Kai Havertz remains weeks away from returning after knee surgery complications.
For Villa, Emiliano Martinez is a major doubt with a back injury that kept him out against Brighton. The Argentine was forced to withdraw from the lineup after experiencing pain during the warm-up. Ross Barkley is ruled out for 8-12 weeks with a knee injury suffered against Wolves. Tyrone Mings remains sidelined with a thigh injury and won’t be available until late December at the earliest.
Predicted Lineups
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Bizot; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans; Buendia, McGinn, Rogers; Watkins
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; White, Timber, Hincapié, Calafiori; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Eze
Read More: Arsenal Player Ratings vs Brentford: Gunners Restore Five-Point Lead With 2-0 Win
Arsenal Women look to bounce back from consecutive frustrating results when they host bottom-of-the-table Liverpool at Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners have drawn their last two WSL matches and sit fourth, eight points behind leaders Manchester City, while the Reds remain winless with just two points from eight games.
Kick-off: 12:00 GMT, Saturday, December 6, 2025
Venue: Emirates Stadium
TV: Sky Sports Football
Form Guide
Arsenal held Tottenham to a goalless north London derby at Brisbane Road on November 16, dominating possession but failing to convert 13 attempts into goals.
Three days later, they came from behind to beat Real Madrid 2-1 in the Champions League at Meadow Park, with Alessia Russo scoring twice after Caroline Weir’s opener.
Liverpool drew 1-1 with Chelsea at Anfield before the international break, their second consecutive draw following a 1-1 stalemate with Brighton. The Reds sit bottom with two points and have lost all three away fixtures, scoring just once on the road this season.
Team News
Arsenal’s Chloe Kelly is a major doubt after lasting just 20 minutes of England’s 2-0 win over Ghana on Tuesday, clutching her knee following a blocked cross. Sarina Wiegman confirmed Kelly “felt something with her knee that didn’t feel right” but could walk off. Her availability for Saturday remains uncertain.
Captain Kim Little could return after missing international duty, though Lia Walti remains unavailable. Leah Williamson continues recovering from her Euro 2025 knee injury. Katie Reid (ACL), Lina Hurtig, Laura Wienroither and Manuela Zinsberger (ACL) are all long-term absentees.
Liverpool captain Grace Fisk is ruled out for 10 days after suffering a calf problem during England training. Risa Shimizu also remains sidelined. Sophie Roman Haug and Marie Hobinger are long-term casualties with ACL injuries suffered days apart in October.
Predicted Lineups
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Van Domselaar; Fox, Wubben-Moy, Catley, McCabe; Walti, Little; Foord, Maanum, Mead; Russo
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Laws; Parry, Clark, Matthews, Hinz; Holland, Nagano; Lundgaard, Daniels, Enderby; Olsson
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