After a blistering start to the season the answer has to be
even better than we thought.
At the height of all the #freeJuanMata brouhaha Jose would
most often deal with the questions over why he dared to leave the Spaniard out
with one simple response, Mata wasn’t playing because he had Oscar. After the start to the season that they’ve
had you have to say Jose’s already been proven right.
Last year, in his first season in England as pleasing on the
eye as his play invariably was there was always a temptation to wonder exactly
what he was for. In an era where
football is taken more seriously than ever and the strict adherence to prescribed
formations is almost mandatory Oscar was one of those players who you couldn’t
immediately see fitting in. The fact he
looks about fourteen didn’t help. With
the benefit of hindsight a slightly hit and miss debut season spent in
apprenticeship on the wing and bench has both player and club now reaping the
benefits.
It’s worth repeating that Oscar is their top scorer this
season, netting four in nine games, already a third of his total for last
season. At no point in his career has he
been unnoticed. We’re talking about a
player who scored a hat-trick in an Under 20 World Cup Final and moved to
Chelsea aged only 20 for a reported £25 million. His biggest achievement might be managing to
not be overburdened with expectation since his move. He possibly has Hazard to thank for
that. Eden signed at the same time as
one of the most sought after young talents in Europe, tweeting hints about who
he’d sign for like a social media focussed Lebron James. In comparison Oscar snuck through the back
door. After both having last season to
bed in it was always likely they’d improve this season. In the case of Hazard he was many people’s
dark horse for player of the year. So
far Oscar is easily outperforming him.
At 22 he already has the best of pedigrees. He’s won the Europa League and Brazilian
Championship. He’s scored goals against
the very best in the Premier League and a hall of famer against Juventus in the
Champions League. Playing as Brazil’s
number 10 he’s already won the Confederation’s Cup. He is flawless technically. In short he should already have a bigger reputation
than he has. That he hasn’t is probably
down to his nationality, Brazil have that many prodigies that the term next big
thing for them is never owned, only ever borrowed. Attention wise he probably owes Neymar about
as much as he owes Hazard.
It’s amazing how instantly pivotal he’s been to Jose’s
Chelsea 2.0. In the three behind the
striker he’s been first picked, notably ahead of Mata but also in front of
Hazard. Last season Benitez spoke
publically about how it was impossible to fit Mata, Hazard and Oscar in the
same team without sacrificing defensive solidarity. For the big games Oscar was invariably the
one to miss out. Mourinho seems to have
come to the same conclusion. For him
though the solution lies in dropping Mata.
From the start Oscar has been his first pick and always at 10. In a squad that must have claim to more of
them than any other that must have given him some boost in confidence. As Jose says it’s not like Brazil are short
of options there either.
In the past he’s been compared in style with Mesut
Ozil. They interpret the 10 position in
similar ways, although Oscar isn’t possessed of such a distinctive languid
running style and doesn’t yet interpret the possibilities of space as well as
the German. But then does anyone? Interestingly Mourinho had Ozil as his 10
throughout his time at Madrid. Clearly
he sees similarities, in result if not style.
It’s tempting to see Brazil’s victory over Spain this summer
as proof that the idea of a team of rotating playmakers on a carousel is at an
end. Time and next summer will
tell. The reason Jose gives when pressed
about his preference for Oscar over Mata is that the Brazilian will put in more
running. Key for pressing but just as
importantly for the speed in which counterattacks can be launched. At Real and this season with Chelsea the
focus on hitting teams on the break is if not everything then pretty damn
close. The most effective way to do that
is to move the ball as quickly as possible down the flanks, where the space has
been left by the opposition (interestingly Brazil are also increasingly trying
to play this way). A player like Mata
with their ability to run games through measured possession becomes less
important when playing like this. Whatever
you think of the style, Oscar is unarguably better suited to it.
And maybe that’s why for a player as accomplished as he is
he can still be said to be underappreciated, it’s tough to pin down exactly
what makes him excellent. He doesn’t
dictate play with a hundred small passes.
He doesn’t rake probing balls the length of the pitch. He doesn’t burn past full backs with his
pace. He’s merely able to find space and
be precise when the ball arrives. As
such he’s close to how other new 10s interpret the game, a further forward Toni
Kroos, a more compact Mesut Ozil, a less direct Thomas Muller (and it’s not an
accident they’re all German, they’re currently producing more of them than any
other country, including Spain). As with
them the proof in Oscar’s ability is how effective his team look with him in
it.
If proof was needed of how his reputation is growing English
commentators have started changing how they say his name. Instead of saying it like it had ‘the Grouch’
afterwards they’ve started breaking it up, Os-car with a gap in the middle. No clue if this is more accurate but there’s
a history of commentators only starting to do this when they’re sure the player
in question will be going places. Os-car
has a bright future.
Ashley prefers the
sound of silence
For a man apparently so set on never publically explaining
his decisions Mike Ashley sure doesn’t like anyone else commenting on
them. Three local newspapers, the
Chronicle, Journal and Sunday Sun are now banned from the Newcastle ground for
covering a protest march before the Liverpool game. This ban also apparently extends to away press
conferences, as the press officer and Pardew refused to take questions from
journalists from the three papers involved after the Sunderland defeat (a
sequence of events that apparently had several South Korean journalists present
questioning whether they were allowed to ask questions or not). That Ashley (and other chairmen; Port Vale’s
has recently banned their local paper the Stoke Sentinel) think that banning
sections of the press will ultimately lead to more favourable coverage just
shows the delusion that football can live under. Wild comments about freedom of press aside,
and there’s been some cracking coverage this week, it really does defy belief
that Ashley thinks that banning papers is the best way to get his point
across. To contrast with an owner down
the road who hasn’t been known for explaining his actions Ellis Short printed
an apology in the pre-derby Sunderland program for some of the mistakes he’d
made that have left his club in trouble.
Whatever you think of how Ashley is running his club it’s unarguable
that more communication from him would be welcome from pretty much everyone. The visit of an in form Chelsea team on
Saturday is the last thing they need.
With Pardew apparently fighting to keep his job and almost certain to
face questions about subjects non-football related the attention at Newcastle
once again is everywhere it shouldn’t be.
Arsenal can be
contenders
Watching Chelsea beat Arsenal this week was confirmation of
what should have been fairly obvious, although their team is good enough to
challenge for honours this season their squad isn’t. While both teams rested players the quality
of the players Chelsea brought in was a cut above their opponents. Broadly it’s tough to see a team with
Nicholas Bendtner at its point achieving anything. And every time Giroud falls under a heavy
challenge that what they’re facing.
Against Liverpool this weekend they’ll have their main players back and
will probably keep their good run of league form going. Over the course of the season though it’s no
secret what will leave them short once again.
Dangerous times for
Jol
For a club the size and position of Fulham the League Cup
never assumes too much importance. That’s
the case right up until you get knocked out by a lower league team. The last thing Martin Jol needed was a visit
from a Manchester United team coming off two wins and still having to make up
ground themselves. With the likelihood
of a defeat this weekend and tough games coming up he’ll be doing well to keep
his job. There’s also the newly occurring
phenomenon of working for an owner that wasn’t responsible for hiring him. Unfortunately it seems like something that
isn’t going away anytime soon.
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