Jurgen Klopp has been forced to use his whole squad over the past few months. With Liverpool competing on all four fronts, his players have been required to play virtually every three days since the turn of the year.
Despite the club's packed schedule, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has barely featured. Although he's been fit and available, his last appearance came against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup over two months ago.
In fact, the English midfielder hasn't featured in the Premier League since playing an hour against Norwich City in mid-February. He hasn't played the full 90 minutes in England's top-flight all season.
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As the summer transfer window approaches, he looks set to be one of the players who will leave. Liverpool are reportedly willing to listen to offers for Oxlade-Chamberlain, with supporters left to wonder what might have been on Merseyside.
Some years ago, he was thriving at Anfield. As Klopp chased down his first Champions League final with the Reds in 2017/18, Oxlade-Chamberlain was central to his plans.
Manchester City in particular felt the full force of his powers. He was a nightmare for Pep Guardiola to control in the knockout stages, scoring in the home leg before contributing to Liverpool's first goal in the away leg at the Etihad.
Therein almost lies the curious problem with Oxlade-Chamberlain. When a coach attempts to control him - whether it be a rival or his own boss - he tends to encounter difficulties.
He initially emerged as a talent under Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, after the Gunners poached him from Southampton as a teenager. The Emirates side were renowned for serene, delicate, possession-based football under the Frenchman, but that style conflicted with the turbulent nature of Oxlade-Chamberlain as a player.
His form was inconsistent for Wenger and as a means of evolving and pushing himself, he left Arsenal for Liverpool in the hope that Klopp would maximise his skill set after a £35m move.
Early on, the German did exactly that. Oxlade-Chamberlain prospered under the leadership of Klopp, having been encouraged to counter-attack, battle for loose balls and link the team's attack and midfield.
Liverpool placed an emphasis on transitions at the time, and the Englishman was free to showcase his speed, physicality, directness and ball-carrying ability on a regular basis as the Reds contested basketball matches.
Everything was developing as planned until an injury setback changed the landscape for him. He experienced a rupture to his cruciate ligament in his team's Champions League semi-final against AS Roma, and proceeded to miss a whole year of action.
Upon his return, the Reds had evolved without him. During his time on the sidelines, the club bought Fabinho and Alisson Becker, and Zeljko Buvac left the club as Klopp's assistant before being replaced by Pep Lijnders. Andy Robertson also grew in stature, and Trent Alexander-Arnold became a unique playmaker despite his role as a full-back.
Those specific changes altered Klopp's ways. His team still embraced the chaos that Oxlade-Chamberlain liked, but the Reds became more of a controlling outfit - especially in the middle of the park - with Fabinho described as a 'lighthouse' by Lijnders.
Liverpool got better at dominating the ball, building from the back and sustaining attacks, and as a result of their improvement, opponents showed them more respect by sitting deep and defending for 90 minutes.
Once Oxlade-Chamberlain returned, he was no longer able to exhibit his industrious offensive perks. Instead, he was required to do a job for Robertson and Alexander-Arnold on the flanks, and matches weren't as open as before.
Liverpool were no longer able to engage in disorganised battles. They were instead tasked with breaking down stubborn defences, much like Arsenal during Wenger's time in charge.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has been presented with a number of sporadic opportunities since returning from his long-term setback, but he has often appeared uncomfortable with elements of his role.
The team couldn't wait for him, it had to evolve. For Oxlade-Chamberlain to rediscover what he's good at, he must attempt to find the surroundings that Klopp gave him all those years ago.
