Chelsea FC‘s January signing Juan Cuadrado made his full Premier League debut on Wednesday against Everton in the Blues’ dramatic victory. He came on late as a substitute against Aston Villa when Chelsea was in the lead but made his first start against the Toffes. The Colombian has shown flashes of his ability but is still adapting to the pace of the Premier League.
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After the match, Juan Cuadrado spoke to the official Chelsea FC site about the differences between England and Italy, and how he felt about his debut. His main point was the game in Italy is a bit slower than the Premier League where it is more “end to end”. Cuadrado said, “The difference is that the Italian game is a little more tactical, whereas here it’s a bit quicker and more end to end. The transition from defence to attack is much faster than in Italy”.
The Italian game has always been known to be a bit more cagey and defensive than the English version. Serie A is supposedly a “slower” league and the evidence seems to agree with that claim. The fact that players like Francesco Totti at the age of 38 can not only contribute but be dominant is a testament to that.
The Italian national team is also more known for its tactical discipline and defensive ability than for attacking flair and scoring goals in bunches. Perhaps that is why Jose Mourinho was so successful with Inter Milan because his conservative approach was perfect for a league built on defense.
Speaking of Mourinho, Juan Cuadrado spoke about the “opportunity to play for one of the best clubs in the world and for Jose Mourinho, who is a great manager. I’m happy to have played my first game at Stamford Bridge, it’s a wonderful stadium. The first two games have been hard but we’re happy with the points”.
Mourinho is by far the best manager Juan Cuadrado has played for in his career and Chelsea is undoubtedly the biggest club he has represented. He has impressed on the big stage at the World Cup for Colombia but it is tougher to do that over eight months rather than four weeks.
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The Portuguese manager has stated that we will not be seeing the best of the Colombian winger this season because he must still adapt to the style of the Premier League. In the little bit we have seen from Cuadrado we can see that he is an immensely talented offensive player. He is an excellent dribbler and has tremendous pace to go along with it.
His presence has pushed Willian to improve his performances and he may be an x-factor for Jose Mourinho to bring off the bench this season. Before he came to Chelsea, Mourinho would often bring on Andre Schurrle late in matches to chase a goal and he did his job admirably with his direct approach. Juan Cuadrado’s dribbling and trickery may be the key to unlock tight defenses in a way the Schurrle could not. The Colombian may still be adapting but he can still contribute to the Blues in their quest for silverware this season.
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