Where will 20 year old Brazilian wonderkid Oscar fit in the Chelsea system?

There was a time, under Carlo Ancelotti, when Chelsea did not have one player who could play in the hole behind the striker. From Frank Lampard to Nicolas Anelka – many players were auditioned for the role, but none was able to stake a claim and make the position his own. The Chelsea blueprint of the last decade, the 4-3-3 formation, didn’t require such a player; it didn’t require a creative, centrally-positioned, attacking midfielder.

Out went Ancelotti, in came Andre Villas-Boas and with him a certain Juan Mata. The young Spaniard immediately won the hearts of the fans with his flair, skills and creativity.  Suddenly, the West London club had a type of player people weren’t accustomed to seeing in Chelsea colours, at least not since the departure of Gianfranco Zola. That seems a long time ago. Today, apart from Juan Mata, Chelsea have acquired the services of Eden Hazard and Marko Marin – both players capable of playing behind the striker in a 4-2-3-1.

So, why would Chelsea be interested to bring another central attacking midfielder – a 20 year old Brazilian midfielder Oscar by paying £25 million to Internacional? Things do not add up, do they?

Yes. They do. It’s because Oscar is not another central attacking midfielder who cannot play through the wings, or a winger who cannot double up centrally. The Brazilian kid offers a lot. Much more infact.

He can play in a wide position, but isn’t known for his speed. He can play centrally behind the striker, but his strength is neither his finishing nor is he a flamboyant player determined to mesmerize the world with his skills and trickery. He, on the other hand, is a simple footballer who shows maturity beyond his tender years, and is considered to be fundamentally and technically the most complete player to emerge from Brazil.

After analyzing his performances for the Brazilian team and his club, it’s clear why Chelsea would be so interested in adding him to the squad.  Oscar is a two-footed player whose strength primarily lies in his unbelievable passing range. He keeps his head up at all times, evaluating all possible options before delivering a pass that is most likely to be completed or that will result in a better opportunity for a team-mate. It’s not that he can’t deliver a magical through ball or take opponents out by virtue of a measured long ball, its just that the kid prefers to keep things simple and that works. His off the ball movement, a willingness to track back and win the ball, to build attacks from deeper positions and help the defense by closing down opponents add to the belief that he’s capable of controlling games from midfield.

The fact that Chelsea are so willing to invest heavily in a 20 year old shows that the club considers him to be a younger and a cheaper alternative to Luka Modric. Although its true that Oscar has mostly featured up the pitch in his short career, the talent he brings to the game can see him settle into the role of a deep-lying playmaker or a central midfielder by the time he reaches the peak of his career.

Oscar can be played in any of the positions across the centre of the park and it is an exercise that works well with any youngster these days. As kids develop physically, sometimes their ideal position on the pitch will be different than what they have been playing previously. With these things in mind, we’re going to look at what Oscar can do for Chelsea.

From what we have seen of him at club and international level, let us first list down his strengths and weaknesses.

STRENGTHS:

Great passing range, two-footed ability, calm in possession of the ball, brilliant acceleration and agility, great balance when on and off the ball, good in tight spaces, decent height and an excellent work rate.

WEAKNESSES:

Lack of top end speed, physically not that strong and is not a great leaper or a good header of the ball.

Just looking at those attributes, one would immediately rule out center forward and the center of the defense just due to his physical limitations. His lack of top end speed should also rule him out of playing out wide with the likes of Eden Hazard, Ramires and Marko Marin already there, as wings and fullbacks often have far more runs into open space. The only way he can play as a winger is if he drifts into the centre. Keeping that in mind, it seems likely that Oscar would be an ideal candidate to play in the central midfield for Chelsea.

As Oscar has already knotched up 36 appearances for his club, one can see the pattern in how he plays the game. He is an excellent passer of the ball so he loves to play the one-two while running. He plays simple passes and if he loses the ball, he immediately tracks back. He also comes back to receive the ball, turn and move it forward into space.

What do we infer from all the points above? It’s clear that when you look at him, you see a central midfielder. He is not the Juan Mata type of player who will go for the killer pass ball after ball and his very few assists are enough to back that up. What he does seem to do well is find the player that’s in a perfect position to deliver that final ball, a potentially mouth watering ability with players like Mata and Hazard working ahead of him. Should the defense leave a lane for a long ball or through ball, Oscar is certain to drill through the perfect pass.  Even from a more advanced position as a central midfielder, he will be important in transitioning from defense to attack.

One important thing one can see from his play now as opposed to a year ago is his tendency to play deeper. In the U-20 World Cup for Brazil, he played as a second striker almost for most of the tournament. But for Brazil this time in friendlies against Argentina and Mexico, he played as a advanced midfielder, but was often seen dropping deep to receive the ball and help transition the squad to attack. He still wore the No. 10, but he didn’t really play as a traditional No. 10 role at all.

With such style of play, its not tough to realise that Oscar could also move into the deeper role for Chelsea alongside Lampard or similar to the role Luka Modric makes his own at Tottenham.

The fact that Oscar can play deep for Chelsea does not mean that the club necessarily wishes to play him there. Yes, his favoured position is as a attacking central midfielder, but it’s not fair to the player to restrict him as strictly a No. 10 due to the fact that he’s played there for most of his very short career.

If Chelsea manage to acquire his services and Roberto Di Matteo makes the best use of his versatility, odds are you will see a talent that could fill in a number of roles in any number of formations. Considering his peak is still likely 5-to-6 years away, where he’s been playing for club and country to date is largely irrelevant as the wonderkid has been compared to Brazil’s Kaka beecause of the way he plays and the charisma about him.

Chelsea should think out of the box and look at what he brings to the table. He is an immense talent waiting to explode on the European scene and if given his chance against the likes of Hazard, Marin or Mata despite his young age, he can make central attacking position his own in due time. 

Chelsea has a lot of talent in their squad and the formation Di Matteo plays should be best chosen by the talent available to him. Oscar would be a purchase for the next 10 years (hopefully), as Chelsea will definitely look to wrap up the deal before the transfer window closes.

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