What about Hazard? How do his numbers compare, in the big games off the top of my head I can only think of his penalty against Arsenal?

Did he get an assist for Schurrle's goal against City too?

End of the day a league title is won over 38 games, it's all well and good condensing things down into 6 or 8 fixtures against top four opposition but unless we get wins in the other 30 odd games what does it matter?

 

Hazard vs Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool: 2 goals 4 assists. 

 

Yes, the league title is won over 38 games and as I've said already goals against smaller teams do matter also. But the league title can also be very easily be lost by losing the 6 or 8 fixtures against top opposition, and unless you have players who step up and perform in these fixtures (like Hazard) you are very likely to lose these games. Same goes for the champions league.

Absolutely, which is why my comment that his goals and assists are important. And his return overall is good too. AND he's a good player. I'm just saying he can be much better.

 

That is my standing on Oscar, I think he is good but he can do much better.

 

Especially performance wise, it's not the figures I've been complaining about it's keeping the ball. If you can keep the ball and get the game going in that area then it is key for the attack really.

 

Oscar has brief performances in games were he will completely lose the ball, Newcastle first half was a shocker, his first touches were dreadful, Liverpool game first  half was similar. Although those performances I have picked out everyone was playing bad also, that doesn't excuse the criticism, you expect more from the CAM.

 

I expect him to deliver it this season. We need him.

Oscar knows how it is.

@oscar8: Welcome to the biggest club in the world, @cuadrado. When you're @chelseafc, #therewillbehaters

Difficult to compare Oscar to Silva because Silva isn't asked to do anything other than be creative.

Obviously Silva is a sublime player but we had a player performing that role for us in Mata and it wasn't to Jose's liking.

Coutinho and Ericksen are asked to press for their clubs but again I don't think they have to do as much defensively for their clubs and that's partly because we have Fabregas in the 2 and Oscar has to compensate for that.

Still, I rate those two players very highly and they're only going to get better.

Be interesting as time progresses to see who is the stand-out player.

Difficult to compare Oscar to Silva because Silva isn't asked to do anything other than be creative.

Obviously Silva is a sublime player but we had a player performing that role for us in Mata and it wasn't to Jose's liking.

Coutinho and Ericksen are asked to press for their clubs but again I don't think they have to do as much defensively for their clubs and that's partly because we have Fabregas in the 2 and Oscar has to compensate for that.

Still, I rate those two players very highly and they're only going to get better.

Be interesting as time progresses to see who is the stand-out player.

Still, and I know statistics don't say anything, Oscar has more assists and goals together (7+6) than Silva (2+7), Coutinho (4+2), Eriksen (1+9) and Mata (3+5). In terms of key passes and creating chances he's not the outstanding one between those names, but I think Oscar contributes enough to our team to be happy about him. He doesn't always deliver in the big games (but the same is said about Fabregas..)  and loses the ball sometimes, but he's still 23 years old. 

 

I believe he can and will be a great player at Chelsea for years. He defends intelligent when it's needed and is good going forward at the same time, especially his link up play in the attacking third is great in my opinion.

Edited February 2, 201511 yr by Noverca

Remember davey, spurs and city play through erikson and silva.

We play through hazard and fabregas. Oscar's job therefore is to combine with those players, make supporting runs and drop into positions they vacate.

I think a fairer comparison would be with nasri or lamela or cazorla perhaps. Oscar is better and younger than all of them.

He's better than erikson too. He's good, but is basically an ersatz juan mata. We had the real thing and Oscar won out.

I find this whole statistical thing very interesting.assists,goals,distance ran etc, americanisms that has crept into uk football.important? Yes,but the only statistics I take heed of are,goals scored for, suggests whether you have a good attack or not.goals scored against,suggest whether you have a bad defense or not. in between are lies and damned lies, IMO are so variable that it is very hard to measure.

I prefer to rely on my own eyes and not statistics.Oscar to me is too inconsistent and mata is a far better player.let's see how our new signing from columbia fares compared to shurrle.no statistics to state,but I would guess (with my own eyes) that schurrle's goals to appearances are a quite high.neck on the line I know,but I couldn't be arsed to look it up.

At Real, Jose had a great individual, whom he positioned on the left flank, and who couldn't be expected to track back as much as the others.

 

At Chelsea, it's more or less the same, Hazard is expected to carry the attack and do some damage, while the others are asked to do much more donkey work.

 

It's why Jose's quite happy to see Dave at left-back, staying back.

 

My fear with Jose is always that he will restrict his attacking players by requiring too much from them defensively, but he knows what he's doing and you can't argue with his record nor the way he's turned us around.

 

When we judge Oscar and Willian we have to remember how much donkey work they do, to the detriment of their attacking output.

 

No other manager will make them work so hard, for the team.

 

If we look at Liverpool for example, Rodgers has done an unbelievable job with Sterling, Sturridge and Coutinho, and Suarez before he left, but these guys are allowed to play almost exclusively in the attacking third. I doubt these players would have flourished as much under Jose, or got as much game-time, but then they probably won't win as much either.

 

I'm convinced, Hazard gets injured, and our title and CL hopes are over, he's that important.

 

That's why I think Jose's gone for Cuadrado and sold Schurrle. It's not just because of Cuadrado's workrate, athleticism and pace, though that has something to do with it, it's also because Cuadrado is a game-breaker, he can take defenders out of the game, he can wreak havoc, and that means we'll be slightly less reliant on Hazard.

If we look at Liverpool for example, Rodgers has done an unbelievable job with Sterling, Sturridge and Coutinho, and Suarez before he left, but these guys are allowed to play almost exclusively in the attacking third. I doubt these players would have flourished as much under Jose, or got as much game-time, but then they probably won't win as much either.

 

And as well as those attacking players did last season, the team conceded 50 goals in the league and that is what ultimately cost them the title.

 

It's all well and good letting your attacking players have a free reign and not expecting them to do too much pressing or defensive work but it's going to cost you a fair amount of points over the course of a season.

 

Willian and Oscar may have to do a hell of a lot of tracking back but as most of us know, it's for the greater good of the team. 

And as well as those attacking players did last season, the team conceded 50 goals in the league and that is what ultimately cost them the title. 

 

That's one way of looking at it.

 

The other way is that if they hadn't been so attacking they wouldn't have come anywhere near the title.

 

Despite the hilarious f**k up at the end, they massively over-achieved last season.

That's one way of looking at it.

The other way is that if they hadn't been so attacking they wouldn't have come anywhere near the title.

Despite the hilarious f**k up at the end, they massively over-achieved last season.

I don't think this is mentioned enough. Much like the 2008/2009 season (I think) they massively over-achieved and in that season in particular the luck they had was ridiculous. Last season this ‘we’re just going to outscore’ you attitude nearly won them the title but where was the tactical awareness? Especially against us? Because they were outscoring teams it was like they didn’t bother to learn how to defend, especially set pieces. No other team in world football would have got away with that ‘tactic’ for so long like Liverpool did, the luck was phenomenal.

Sorry, didn't even realise this was the Oscar thread... now I understand why people always replied to a topic that mentioned Torres, it's an addiction! Any chance to slate Liverpool and I'm there...

Someone here mentioned stats. It is the key stats that count. Prem table is a stat and it counts pretty damn much.

Someone here mentioned stats. It is the key stats that count. Prem table is a stat and it counts pretty damn much.

 

Sorry, I'm not sure what you are trying to say?

Sorry, I'm not sure what you are trying to say?

Think he's trying to say that the only number that really matters is the points tally at the end of the season.

Think he's trying to say that the only number that really matters is the points tally at the end of the season.

 

I got that but what does it have to do with Oscar?

Sorry, I'm not sure what you are trying to say?

I'm trying to say stats are not as misleading as someone here tried to imply. Some stats are less important than others but a stat like the table or goals scored and assists made are pretty important in a sport where your performances are reviewed almost solely on them.

Oscar is just 23 and he's already very good. Comparing him with Silva, Cazorla, Mata are unfair because these players are much older than him and are probably at their peak. 

Oscar is always going to improve... he has already made some massive improvement since last season and in one or 2 year time he'll be much more better. 

I'm trying to say stats are not as misleading as someone here tried to imply. Some stats are less important than others but a stat like the table or goals scored and assists made are pretty important in a sport where your performances are reviewed almost solely on them.

 

So are you saying that all defenders are basically sh*t? :P

For me, that was the last match that he should be an automatic starter for us. 

His nice run and pass helped set up our first goal. He wasn't great after that but he'd still be a starter for me. He's been very good overall this season.

His nice run and pass helped set up our first goal. He wasn't great after that but he'd still be a starter for me. He's been very good overall this season.

 

Would you drop Willian then assuming Cuadrado soon starts on the right?

I think a fairer comparison would be with nasri or lamela or cazorla perhaps. Oscar is better and younger than all of them.

He's better than erikson too. He's good, but is basically an ersatz juan mata. We had the real thing and Oscar won out.

 

Sorry G4 but that's a case of the old blue tinted specs - well in the case of Cazorla anyway. I would take him over Oscar all day long, as I would Coutinho and Erikkson. When Oscar plays well he is great but he drifts out of games far too often to the point where you forget he is even on the pitch. If he can't contribute more in games, I think he needs to start being rotated a lot more often.

His form baffles me in a way. He goes from being breathtaking one week then anonymous the next. He was so good against Swansea a few weeks ago then apart from contributing to the goal he was very poor

Would you drop Willian then assuming Cuadrado soon starts on the right?

 

I'd rather Cuadrado over Willian on the right and Oscar over Willian in the middle, if that's what you mean, yeah.

I'd rather Cuadrado over Willian on the right and Oscar over Willian in the middle, if that's what you mean, yeah.

 

Yes that's what I mean since Willian is a natural no.10. And for me a better player overall than Oscar. But I guess it's Jose's decision that matters in the end.