Jurgen Klopp has admitted he made a mistake playing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the wing against Chelsea after hauling him off at half-time of Liverpool’s Super Cup victory.
The former Arsenal man made his first competitive start for the Reds since getting injured against Roma in April 2018, though he only lasted 45 minutes before being replaced by Roberto Firmino.
Unusually, he lined up on the flank with Klopp keen to get him into the side after such a long lay-off, though he struggled to impact the game before being withdrawn.
Asked if he said anything to Oxlade-Chamberlain at half-time, Klopp explained: ‘I didn’t say a lot to Ox. I don’t think it was necessary because for Ox it was very important to have these minutes.
‘It’s a position he can play, he can play much better than he did tonight but that’s how it is and after a long injury you have to find back your rhythm and in training it’s already there.
‘Now in the game he had good moments but of course not enough for his quality, but it [subbing him] was not about that.
‘I saw it was a very, very intense game, so it was clear that we had to make that decision because we didn’t want to push him through.
‘We want to give him the opportunity to perform, to shine if you want, in that circumstances, in that position, it obviously was not as possible as we would have wished. But that’s my mistake and not his mistake because I made the decision.’
Oxlade-Chamberlain’s replacement, Roberto Firmino, played a key role in creating both of Sadio Mane’s goals as Liverpool emerged victorious on penalties against Chelsea to claim another trophy for their collection.
