Ox learning to cope with expectations

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is learning to deal with people's expectations but admits he often takes criticism of his performances to heart.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has struggled to secure a regular starting spot in the Arsenal team this year and he did not convince when he was named in the team for Tuesday's EFL Cup win over Nottingham Forest.

Much was expected of him when he joined Arsenal from Southampton but the 23-yer-old knows he has yet to reach his full potential and he is working hard to ensure he gives his best everytime he plays for Arsenal.

“After every game, no matter what - whether it’s a win, a loss or a draw - the first thing I do when I go home is I get on the TV and watch the whole 90 minutes again before I do anything," he told the club's official website.

"I generally won’t go out for dinner or go and chill with my friends until I’ve watched the whole 90 minutes.

"Whether I’ve had the best game of my life or the worst game of my life I always need to look back on the game and see what I did well or could have done better.

"That’s what I do and that’s how seriously I take my football - it’s not a job, it really is a lifestyle. It’s 24 hour, on and off the pitch. You have to think about what you’re doing and how that will affect you going into training."

The England international admits he takes criticism to heart but he has realised that he cannot please everyone.

"I’m the type of person that tends to care a lot about what people are saying and what people are thinking. I think as I’ve grown older I’ve learnt that you really can’t please everyone," he added.

“As I’ve got older, the pressure on myself and the expectations go up. You need to find a way to manage that the best for yourself and I’ll be honest, it’s not until recently, the last six months to a year or so, that I’ve fully got my head around how to go about that with dealing with people’s expectations on me and my own expectations.

“It can be hard and I still think I’m quite young, I’ve just turned 23 and now it’s focusing on how to push myself further and better myself as a player.”

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