Niggling injuries and so-so form stymied Oscar’s attempt at a quick start to the 2014/15 Premier League season. The Brazilian starlet notched one assist in three appearances over the opening five Gameweeks, prompting nearly 100,000 early uptakers to sanction his sale. That decision proved rash, however, when Oscar subsequently recorded three goals and one assist in his next five outings.
Oscar continued to deliver consistent attacking returns right through to mid-January, before a downturn in form resulted in a reduced role. Ultimately, he proved to be a fine pick-up when handed an unbroken run of starts and clearly harbours the potential to be a top-tier Fantasy recruit. Could next season beckon in such an evolution?
Key Factors
- What with his involvement in the 2011 U20 World Cup, 2012 London Olympics, 2013 Confederations Cup and 2014 World Cup, Oscar hasn’t been afforded a prolonged summer break for over four years. That’s set to change this year, though, by virtue of the fact he sustained a knock at the tail-end of the Premier League season and has subsequently been ruled out of Brazil’s Copa America squad. Blues boss Jose Mourinho is confident that a lengthy rejuvenation period will do wonders for Oscar’s progression as a player, setting him up to emulate the heroics of Eden Hazard during Chelsea’s triumphant title-winning campaign. Although rumours have surfaced suggesting that Oscar could be deemed surplus to requirements this transfer window – a theory strengthened by his bit-part role in the second half of the season – Mourinho’s quotes regarding the player dispel that notion:
“Someone like Oscar, for example, is a fabulous player but he’s never had a pre-season in his life. He’s always been playing in tournaments everywhere, he’s never had a rest. Now, because he’s injured he’s not going to the Copa America and I have a feeling that next year Oscar can have the same kind of evolution as Hazard had this season. I’m happy with my squad and I have to respect the people that gave us the title.”
- Oscar was pitched at a starting value of 8.5 in the Fantasy Premier League season just passed. Considering that he notched a single assist from Gameweek 23 onwards – causing his value to plummet to 6.9 – it’s likely he’ll remain in the mid-price bracket next term. That being said, Oscar’s value as a Fantasy asset when fit and firing shouldn’t be underestimated; the former Internacional midfielder carded six goals and seven assists in the first 22 Gameweeks, drawing blanks in just eight starts. Furthermore, Oscar displayed a capacity for big-hitting returns that was on par with Cesc Fabregas, having matched his four 10+ points hauls. Couple this with his keen eye for goal and Oscar could well be the most valuable route into the champions’ squad next season if he can cement that number ten berth.
- On that note, Hazard and Fabregas are – save for any high-powered additions to Chelsea’s attack – set to remain as the premier midfield picks in Mourinho’s set-up. This should – security of starts permitting – render Oscar an enticing differential with the potential to flourish into a top pick if he enjoys a sustained run of starts. If Oscar emerges as a viable alternative, it would free up significant funds that would facilitate the recruitment of a myriad other high-priced midfielders, with the likes of Alexis Sanchez and David Silva topping many a preliminary shopping list.
- Burrowing deeper into the underlying statistics, Oscar registered more assists (eight) than his previous two campaigns at the London club, despite clocking the fewest number of minutes (2021) since his switch to the Premier League. In terms of his goal threat, the Brazilian schemer fashioned shooting attempts at the sixth-fastest rate (28.8 minutes per chance) among those players that tallied at least 1500 minutes of pitch time. This figure compares very favourably to the likes of Hazard (45.2 minutes) and Fabregas (70.3 minutes), with Diego Costa (28.1 minutes) and Loic Remy (24.6 minutes) the only individuals in Chelsea’s camp boasting superior numbers. To further illustrate Oscar’s proclivity for carving out shooting opportunities, he ranked joint-eight among all midfielders with regards to shots inside the box (38), in spite of his above-mentioned poverty of minutes.
