The most complete midfielder in modern football

The most complete midfielder in modern football is not who you may think it is. It is not; Iniesta, Xavi, or Sneijder, but a twenty-one year old Brazilian kid who made his Capital One Cup debut last week. Oscar the heir to Drogba’s number 11 shirt is the most complete midfielder in modern football. Oscar is a boy with a slight frame yet he possesses a magical talent that only comes around once in a decade. A talent that has been possessed by the likes of Kaka, and before him Zidane. Now this is a bold statement but, Oscar may have the potential to be better than the aforementioned players.

Tactically Oscar is flawless he can play in any midfield position whether it be; in central midfield, as a number ten, or wide in a narrow front three. For Chelsea Oscar interchanges from a right attacking midfield role in their 4-2-3-1 system and  also plays in the double pivot. In some cases ,usually via a late substitution Oscar plays the number 10 role which is his natural position for Brazil. Nevertheless Oscar flourishes in all of these midfield positions as he is calm on the ball, has a great first touch which he displayed with his wonder goal against Juventus, and as we all know has a deft shooting touch. The most admirable trait which Oscar posses is his maturity, for a 21 year old he plays like a 35 year old who has plenty of experience. This was first shown by his great performance against Juventus. Yes he scored two great goals one of them being a candidate for goal of the Champions League season, but he also had a great tactical performance. Oscar was told by Roberto Di Matteo to mark Pirlo and give him as little room as possible. Oscar did just that as the Brazilian harassed Pirlo the whole night and went further by preventing the passing lanes which Marchisio thrives on. However Oscar’s defensive abilities are just a minuscule part of his game as his attacking prowess is really something special.

The modern game is always judged from an offensive point of view , strikers are judged by goals and midfielders are judged by their link up play and assists. Oscar must have got this memo because he is a scary talent going forward. Oscar is a player who can deliver a decisive through ball, and link the midfield play with the forwards. One thing Oscar does that not a lot of players do nowadays is drop deep and immediately send the ball forward. For example a living legend like Frank Lampard slows the ball down and usually passes the ball from side to side instead of passing it forward. Oscar on the other hand will pick up the ball from deep positions and get the ball forward as quick as possible. This is a tactical nightmare for other teams as it always  puts them on the back foot, and negates any time for resting. In addition Oscar’s movement and desire to be an outlet for his teammates is envious. Every time Oscar passes the ball he instantly moves around his marker to receive the ball again. This tires his opponents and makes it almost impossible to man mark him. Moreover by Oscar constantly moving and looking for the ball, it allows other players to make runs of the ball because of the space  he is creating by dragging defenders out of position. Oscar ‘s ability to be a nuisance for other defences is a trait which makes him truly complete.

Gerald Baffour @gerald_baffour

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