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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is feeling right at home.

A difficult start to his Anfield career has been consigned to history - a string of eye-catching performances endearing him to Kopites and proving that he belongs at Liverpool.

The £35million summer signing from Arsenal has played an increasingly important role in a 17-game unbeaten run for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

“It’s going really well at the moment,” he said.

“I’m really enjoying myself. We’re in a good run of form and have had some good results so that always helps. There’s a really good atmosphere in and around the boys so it’s a really good place to be.

(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

“I’m feeling like I’ve really settled in and I feel comfortable around the boys. They’re all very welcoming and I feel part of the group.

“When you’re feeling comfortable in your environment, that starts to come out on the pitch and it’s easier to do what you do best. That’s where I am at the moment, but I know there’s a lot more room for improvement and I need to keep pushing it out of myself.”

It was that burning desire to fulfil his rich potential which led to Oxlade-Chamberlain ending his six-year stay at the Emirates back in August and opting to make the move to Liverpool.

He believes he needed a fresh start. There was a lucrative offer from Chelsea on the table but the chance to work with Klopp - coupled with a glowing endorsement from captain Jordan Henderson - convinced him to head north.

“I came here for a reason. I felt I needed a change and a new challenge,” he said.

“I just thought it’s a really exciting team to watch and play for. There was some really exciting football being played and there were some highly-skilled and talented players, and the attacking style of play was really good.

“The manager was a big factor. I knew boys in the team and I knew I could speak to them. Over the years I’ve spoken to Hendo about Liverpool so I had good ideas about the club. There’s the history - it’s all very attractive. So when the opportunity came up, it felt like it was the only decision for me.

“The moment I walked through the door, I knew that was what I was going to face. I was put into a new environment and from minute one I knew it was something I could benefit from. I still believe that now.

“I can keep developing and improving. The reason I came here was to push myself in a new environment and get the best out of myself and my career. Liverpool is a club that is looking to go and do good things and win things. Both of those things match up with my ambitions for myself. It seemed like the perfect match.”

(Image: John Walton/PA Wire)

Initially, Oxlade-Chamberlain found life tough at Liverpool. Klopp spoke about him needing time on the training field to adjust to a different style of play.

The 24-year-old found his opportunities limited. He didn’t make his full Premier League debut for the club until November with critics questioning the wisdom of Liverpool’s hefty investment.

“There was a lot of controversy and talk, maybe it’s a time when you just want to get your head down and settle in,” he said.

“There’s a lot of noise around what’s happening and that can make things a bit difficult. It can be more difficult to settle in when people don’t step back and give you the time to have that bedding in period.

“I found it a challenge but one I was happy to take on. I didn’t mind too much people talking because I knew that what would happen. It happens to a lot of players and it’s all part and parcel of it. Once you clear that ridge and focus on getting your head down and playing more, I feel that’s where I am now.”

(Image: (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images))

Klopp was a pillar of support throughout a tricky period - helping him make the adjustments required to command a place in the starting line up.

“From day one, I wanted to play as much as possible, so I was always trying to do my best to put pressure on the manager to play me,” he said.

“I am not the type of character to go bursting walls down. I knew the manager would want me to learn the way he wants me to play and how to play best with the team. I knew there would be that process.

“Even when there were times I wasn’t playing as much as I would have liked, I respected I was the new boy and I had a lot of learning to do. So I got my head down and did exactly that. Slowly but surely, I got my foot in the door and started playing a bit more.

“I wasn’t going to let myself start thinking negatively, especially so early on. There was never a time I thought that I’d made the wrong decision.

“The manager has been brilliant ever since I’ve come here. He’s very positive and he’s someone who gives all the players a lot of belief.

“He’s shown he believes in me massively, even after performances I’ve not been happy with. He picks out the good things and encourages as well as saying where you have room for improvement. He’s got great people skills. He talks about your family, how you’re getting on, your living environment, little things like that.

“When you get that relationship with anyone, especially at a professional level, it makes work easy. You can learn better. He will continue to help me develop from this point.”

Over the past month Oxlade-Chamberlain has kicked on impressively. He has now clocked up 10 starts in all competitions as well as a further 15 outings as a sub.

Frustrated with life as a wing-back at Arsenal, he has shown his qualities further forward for Liverpool. He has been utilised by Klopp both out wide in a front three and in an advanced central midfield role.

(Image: 2016 Getty Images)

How does playing for Klopp compare to life under Arsene Wenger?

“A whole lot of things are slightly different,” he said. “When you are used to playing a certain way for six years, it becomes second nature to you. When another manager asks you to do something different, it’s about trying to change habits you are used to. It can be tough to do.

“The biggest thing I’ve had to learn is how this manager likes to stop situations at source and how this manager likes to attack is slightly different to how my manager before liked to attack – there’s not really one right and one wrong reason.

“When a team is in sync to do what a manager wants and you have one player who has come in and is doing it slightly different it breaks the whole chain and it doesn’t work for everyone. We press high and if one person is not doing it right it makes everyone’s work a waste of time. Just little things like that I had to learn and it can take some time.”

After making back-to-back starts in the wins over Burnley and Everton, Oxlade-Chamberlain is relishing the prospect of lining up against Premier League leaders Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday.

(Image: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

His debut for Liverpool arrived in unhappy circumstances in the 5-0 thrashing they endured at the Etihad back in September. He believes Klopp’s men are capable of avenging that painful setback and inflicting a first league defeat of the season on City.

“City are still human. They haven’t lost many games but of course they are beatable,” he added.

“Playing at Anfield, we’re always confident we’re going to win the game. That’s what I’ve felt from the moment I came here.

“When I used to come to Anfield as an away player, I always knew it was going to be a hard game, no matter what kind of form your team was in. When the fans get going and the boys play like they can, it’s a really tough afternoon for whoever we play.

“We know we can beat City. We have to be good on the day. We need to defend well and attack like we know we can. We have everything we need to go and get the right result.”