- Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain criticises his own performance in Liverpool’s win over Swansea
- Midfielder disappointed with his efforts despite scoring superb second-half goal
- Summer-signing demonstrates leadership qualities with classy post-match interview
- SEE MORE: Klopp: Liverpool duo have ‘no chance’ of playing next two games
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain continued his rise as an admirable figure both on and off the pitch on Boxing Day as Liverpool cruised to a 5-0 win over Swansea City.
The summer-signing has followed up a difficult start to life at Anfield with a string of accomplished performances and an impressive attitude to match.
He was rewarded for his fine form again on Tuesday, earning a starting spot in Jurgen Klopp’s central midfield trio alongside Emre Can and Georginio Wijnaldum.
A determined display and a superb goal helped the Reds towards another dominant win, but wasn’t enough to please Oxlade-Chamberlain himself.
“We won, we got the three points. Personally, I was a bit disappointed with myself,” he told Sky Sports.
“I’m happy I managed to get the goal in the end; I tried to work hard throughout the 90 minutes. When the chance came at the end, I was happy to put that away and it made it a bit better.”
“I just want more out of myself and there were a few moments when I could have done better with my end product.”
“In this league they don’t come too often and when you get into those areas you want to do better. There were a few times I could have done better. Just overall, it could have been better.”
The former Arsenal man’s high expectations of himself have subsequently warranted him the respect of Liverpool fans, many of which have acknowledged him as one of the club’s rising leaders.
They also partially justify the money spent to bring him to the club, meeting Klopp’s demands for a commitment to constant improvement.
His widely-applauded self-assessment follows his efforts to defend Philippe Coutinho in a recent post-match interview, when the Brazilian was faced with an awkward question regarding his future at the club.
He is already looking a different man to the one that saw his progress stall for so long under Arsene Wenger.