The Brazilian starlet has been questioned after he
was snubbed for Chelsea's last two matches, against Atletico and
Liverpool, but his quality is not in doubt
COMMENTBy Rupert Fryer
When Jose Mourinho
picked his side to take on Atletico Madrid in their Champions League
semi-final first-leg last week, there was one notable absence as Brazil
international Oscar was left on the bench.
In some quarters the
decision led to the questioning of Oscar’s overall impact since arriving
in London from Internacional in 2012 for a fee of almost €25 million.
"I
want to build with Oscar as my No.10,” Mourinho said in September. “If
somebody tells me that Oscar has not been Chelsea's best player since
the beginning of the season, I'd have to disagree.”
Come his
side’s biggest game of the campaign so far, however, Oscar was nowhere
to be seen, and there have since been concerns that the 22-year-old has
struggled to live up to his reputation in his second season in European
football.
But his omission was likely little more than a
calculated, tactical decision from Mourinho. Lining up in a 4-1-4-1,
with what was essentially a triple-pivot in the middle of a midfield
consisting of David Luiz, Frank Lampard and Jon Obi Mikel, Chelsea’s
gameplan was to coax their hosts into taking the initiative after
Atletico captain Gabi had joked that “If Chelsea give us the ball, we'll
instantly give it back to them.”
With Atleti happy to concede
possession and hit their opponents on the counter, there was little need
for Chelsea to implement a high-pressing approach for which Oscar is
ideal.
| OSCAR'S CHELSEA BLUES |
|
|
| OSCAR'S STATS UP TO JANUARY 31 |
GAMES PLAYED
GOALS SCORED
ASSISTS MADE |
28
9
7 |
| OSCAR'S STATS SINCE FEBRUARY 1 |
GAMES PLAYED
GOALS SCORED
ASSISTS MADE
|
18
2
3
|
The Brazilian doesn’t possess the cultured, arrogant swagger and
ludicrous natural ability many Blues fans may have expected to rock up
in London when news broke that they’d splashed the cash on the latest
heir to Pele’s mythical yellow jersey.
Rather, the 22-year-old is
perhaps the archetypal, contemporary No.10. Athletic, dynamic, and
stronger than his fragile frame may suggest, for all his technical gifts
former Brazil coach Mano Menezes introduced the midfielder as an
international regular after identifying perhaps his biggest attribute of
all: defending from the front. Those who have watched the Brazilian
from his initial introduction at Internacional will likely agree that
Oscar remains underappreciated by English football fans.
He was the catalyst for a post-Dunga Brazil that sought to reclaim possession high up the pitch and has perhaps been the
Selecao’s
most important player over the last 18 months. Pressing is contagious.
When one goes, it’s vital that others follow. He sets the tone for
Brazil's modern approach – often the first to chase the opposition, it's
his pressure that time and again leads to his team recovering
possession deep in enemy teritory.
While Oscar may not have
consistently proved a match-winner for Mourinho, he remains Chelsea’s
third-highest goalscorer this season with nine goals in 32 starts. And
averaging two tackles per game in the Premier League, he reclaims
possession for his side more frequently than David Luiz, Branislav
Ivanovic, John Obi Mikel, Gary Cahill, John Terry and a completely
reborn Willian.
Oscar was left out of the matchday squad for
Chelsea’s victory over Liverpool on Sunday, ostensibly in order to be
fresh for the return leg against Atletico. With Diego Simeone’s side
likely to once again try and sit back at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday
evening, the Brazilian could return to the side and provide a balance
offered by few with his level of technical ability.
But even if
he is once again left on the sidelines, if he has indeed lost the
confidence of his club coach, Oscar can rest assured that any lack of
playing time for his club will have little-to-no impact on his starring
role at this year’s World Cup.
Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari
and technical director Carlos Alberto Parreira have – both publically
and privately – told their key figures that a lack of playing time at
for their clubs will have little influence on who leads Brazil’s quest
for a sixth world title in June. Both former World Cup winners believe
less club minutes will in fact be a blessing for the
Selecao, reducing the chances of valuable first-team members arriving at the tournament suffering from fatigue.
Neymar’s
decision to don the prestigious No.10 at football’s showpiece event
this summer may have illustrated the Barcelona forward’s status as the
undisputed star of
Felipao's side, but few are considered more
vital than Oscar. In recent friendly matches he has competently
displayed the ability and tactical discipline to interchange with
Neymar, to his left, and Hulk – or Willian – to the right – something
Brazil have worked on extensively during their attacking drills in
recent training sessions.
“I'm often interchanging with Neymar or Oscar and that really helps,” a revitalised
Hulk told Gillette Brasil Global Tour last month. “We really enjoy that.”
And
it’s that tactical and stylistic versatility that means there’s much
more to come from Oscar. If not in the Champions League, then certainly
at the World Cup.