Chelsea FC have endured a tumultuous season, but how has Oscar fared? Let’s take a moment to evaluate the Brazilian’s performances over the campaign.
When Chelsea FC signed Brazilian international Oscar from Internacional in 2012, many people were concerned about the hefty £25 million transfer fee. In his four years at Chelsea the player has shown some incredible potential (his wonder-goals against Juventus and Shakhtar Donetsk come to mind). Oscar immediately formed an intriguing partnership with Eden Hazard and Juan Mata, affectionately being called ‘Mazacar’.
But what has Oscar really provided for Chelsea? He certainly can’t control and dictate a game the way current players Hazard and Cesc Fabregas can.
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In 2015/16 Oscar appeared in 40 matches (13 of those coming off the bench) scoring eight goals and five assists. Of those goals, though, three came in the same FA Cup match against MK Dons.
This season for Chelsea has been a write-off, with the majority of the team under-performing. Despite this, it feels as if this season has been like every other for Oscar. Moments of magic surrounded by uninspiring, underwhelming displays.
Injuries have seemingly impacted his campaign, causing him to miss chunks of games at a time. When fully fit we have seen Oscar liven up a relatively slow Chelsea midfield.
In a season when Chelsea’s talisman, Hazard, has struggled, Oscar’s Brazilian team-mate Willian has excelled. Oscar should have been the one to lift Chelsea up this season, but wasn’t up to the task.
The 2015/16 season essentially sums up Oscar’s time at Chelsea. He goes missing too often and doesn’t seem capable of playing well unless those around him do too.
Next: Chelsea FC: Top 10 Oscar Goals
Predominantly an attacking midfield player, the Brazilian can drop into the centre midfield position to make a tackle, something he appears fond of. A strong tackler with pace, good passing ability and a terrific shot sounds like a perfect central midfielder for the Blues. For some reason Oscar has been unable to put his abilities together and be a consistent performer over the course of a whole season.