Taking a gamble on Oscar
Chelsea’s start to the new season has been hampered by two embarrassing losses. Jose Mourinho, who was brought in by the club to rejuvenate the side, has seen his team slump to a defeat at Everton, followed by a shock 2-1 defeat to FC Basel, a match many would have expected them to win comfortably. The results and poor performance so far contradict the wealth of talent within the Chelsea team. However, they do paint a stark picture of the side’s current attack; Creative but toothless.
Chelsea boasts one of the best set of attacking midfield players in the country. The fact that their best player for the past 2 seasons, Juan Mata can hardly get a full game shows that Mourinho has the strength in depth to challenge on multiple fronts. This season, Kevin De Bruyne, Andre Schurrle and Willian arrive with each bringing different skill sets to the table; De Bruyne for his vision, Schurrle for his pace on the wings and Willian, the free floating and skillful playmaker.
These talents meld together with precocious talents like Oscar and Eden Hazard to form a midfield of numerous possibilities. However, as the new season began, it was clear that Mourinho continues to look to Oscar and Hazard as leaders of the new attacking midfield line up.
While Eden Hazard has yet to replicate his last season’s form, Oscar has emerged as one of Chelsea’s best creative outlets in central attacking midfield this season. His form thus far playing behind the striker has been scintillating, arguably a reason why Juan Mata has been on the bench. In Chelsea’s game against Basel, Oscar scored a crucial goal that sent his side a goal up into the break. The goal was a sweet finish after Frank Lampard played a through ball into the penalty area. That goal also took his Champion’s league group stage goal tally to 6 goals in 7 games. This remarkable tally could have easily gone up to 7 goals, had his outrageous shot from outside the penalty box went into the goal instead of hitting the bar.
It is clear that finishing, once Oscar’s crucial weakness in his games for the International (11 goals in 37 appearances) has improved during his time in England. In the first season, he only scored 4 goals in the premier league. With such fine form, one would not bet against him improving on his previous tally. However, many would know that Oscar’s best performances have arguably come from the Champions league.
There, his conversion rate is a remarkable 55.6%, with 89%of his shots being accurate. In terms of chances created, Oscar has created an average of 2 chances per game, showing that he is as capable creating as well as scoring. Beyond attacking, Oscar also works hard defensively. Currently, he averages 2 tackles a game and has won 9/12 of his tackles, a remarkable 75%. With such sterling goal scoring qualities as well as all round play, one might wonder whether Oscar should be the face of Chelsea’s attacks, especially when Chelsea’s best strikers are misfiring.
Mourinho’s signing of Samuel Eto has given a breath of fresh air to the Chelsea attack. The Cameroon International is pacey and a strong finisher, although his touch has looked heavy at times. In the matches so far, Eto has showed promise and desire but has failed to prove that he is a better option than Chelsea’s other two strikers Fernando Torres and Demba Ba. As a collective, none of the trio has been able to assimilate completely with Chelsea’s creative outlets. Oscar, a creative midfielder has a proven synergy with Chelsea’s creative players. However, will Mourinho ever play him as a center forward?
Against Manchester United, Jose Mourinho made a calculated move to play left winger Andre Schurrle in attack. While some believed that it was a calculated gamble to persuade Rooney to jump ship, the move did prove that Mourinho is open towards playing his talented midfielders as attackers. While the results that day were not fantastic, this writer argues that the problem lay not in the tactics but the player in attack. After all, it is a huge wonder why Oscar was passed up for a striking position then, especially when he has played and excelled in a role of a center forward/ false 9 for the Brazilian National team before.
At first glance, Oscar may look weak physically. However, his skill on the ball and clever movement could see him become the perfect false 9 for the current Chelsea side. After all, with Chelsea relying heavily on their creative attacking midfield players, perhaps a striker may not even be needed. Oscar could form the crucial link between his midfielders and attack. Here we have a player whose qualities in terms of vision and dribbling will make him a more effective alternative than Eto, Ba or Torres. All of whom, struggle with linking up with their support men. Oscar’s strong turn of pace and dribbling skills could also see him excel in tight quarters, something Fernando Torres and Ba have struggled with.
Most importantly, Oscar’s successfully transition to a striking role could ultimately free up space in midfield for Chelsea. Giving players like Juan Mata, Willian, De Bruyne and Schurrle more opportunities to play. It is also the best option for the club to utilize the wealth of creative talent it has at its disposal. Looking at it from a team angle, Mourinho stands to eliminate 3 under performing strikers who are almost guaranteed to start because of formational requirements, and substitute them with better performing midfielders.
Oscar playing as a false 9 may go against Mourinho’s footballing philosophy and fans expectations. However, with the side in need of points and confidence, Mourinho has to look for an alternative to Chelsea’s misfiring strikers. Furthermore, with the transfer window closed till January, Chelsea has to find a solution in house. Playing a false 9 could just be the right strategy for them. And Oscar is the man best suited to do it.