Oscar

[communicate 2,703]

Yep that is how the club works, once we identify a better player and affordable we replace them with the new players. Just because we have a good squad atm doesn't mean they will be going for the next 5-10 years. For example Diego Costa might break his leg in Xmas, out for 6 months and comeback as a new Torres. Do we keep him as well or sign Cavani for example who is available for 30m?

The club is improving all the times and all the players are nothing more than employees, just ask Mata and Luiz. If Jose get sacked next year and Klopp came in, insisting on buying Reus to replace Oscar, do we let him? Of course we do...

This idea is different from Real Madrid, who just buy super stars every summer no matter how good of a season the previous player had. They are run differently from us.

It is true that if you identify a better play and affordable you will replace them.

The key is he has to be much better and affordable if not it does not make sense.

I cannot see any better player @10 than oscar right now for the role that he is playing (Mou want his am not only to be an am but also to press hard and oscar is absolutely brilliant at it, if you want a pure no 10, we had mata who was fantastic but will struggle if you ask him to play pressing game).

Ozil -> Will go out of steam by 1st half if you ask him to play pressing game

Gotze -> nah

Reus -> Not a no 10

Messi -> Not happening

J Rodiguez -> Need to watch him play for a season but I can make any comment.

[termninja 5,290]

Disappointed me in the last few months but hopefully he can make a cracking return to our squad and benefit from Costa and Fabregas in the team. I really like the lad but he needs to step it up again. Bags of potential though and after a well deserved rest hopefully he can be the old Oscar we know and like.

[The Skipper 20,609]

Make or break season coming up for Osc. Hopefully he matures and steps it up. Still consider him as our starting #10 atm.

[DYC. 7,542]

Make or break season coming up for Osc. Hopefully he matures and steps it up. Still consider him as our starting #10 atm.

Agree. I completely disagree with those saying Willian can be used for the #10 position. Players like Willian aren't build for the middle, he needs the space you get out wide to fully operate. Hazard's a different story but that's still up in the air.

Oscar is the best #10 in the team as it stands right now. The new additions should help raise his level. But people should realise Oscar will never be a playmaker.

[Sheva. 5,373]

Oscar is the best #10 in the team as it stands right now. The new additions should help raise his level. But people should realise Oscar will never be a playmaker.

I always thought #10 was meant to be a playmaker?

And Willian played his best football for us in the middle imo. He doesn't stay out wide when he plays RW.

[Stats 7,142]

Agree. I completely disagree with those saying Willian can be used for the #10 position. Players like Willian aren't build for the middle, he needs the space you get out wide to fully operate. Hazard's a different story but that's still up in the air.

Oscar is the best #10 in the team as it stands right now. The new additions should help raise his level. But people should realise Oscar will never be a playmaker.

Hazard is the best no.10 in the team. He is just a very good winger as well but I reckon he could be as effective in the centre if not more. Like Sheva said, Willian's better performances came in the centre. I think he is better there than out wide and I think we are more of an attacking threat when he plays in the centre. But like Skipper said it is a season where I hope he steps up because there is a lot of competition and many fans want Schurrle starting now with his improved performances.

[Styles 9,790]

Make or break season coming up for Osc. Hopefully he matures and steps it up. Still consider him as our starting #10 atm.

Fabregas for me.

If Mourinho sticks to the 4-2-3-1 the way I see it is: Willian/Salah - Fabregas/Oscar - Hazard/Schurrle.

The 'Fabregas in the pivot' idea won't last very long in my opinion.

[DYC. 7,542]

I always thought #10 was meant to be a playmaker?

And Willian played his best football for us in the middle imo. He doesn't stay out wide when he plays RW.

Not necessarily. You have the playmakers like Riquelme, Rui Costa, goal-scorers like Kaka or hybrids like Bergkamp, Totti, Del Piero. Real 10's don't really exist anymore if you look around. It's more about dynamic midfielders with all-round abilities. And coaches find it more and more important for them to contribute defensively.

Willian doesn't do it for me in the middle. Mourinho talked about how Cesc's mind works a lot faster than most players, Willian doesn't have that at all. He's not fit for the role imo. And I remember Mourinho saying Willian is a player for the sides so he thinks the same.

[Sheva. 5,373]

The 'Fabregas in the pivot' idea won't last very long in my opinion.

He's gonna be destroyed there against any good team, but that's why we have Ramires and co for those games.

Against the lesser sides though, i don't see why he can't play there the same way Lampard did.

[Hutcho 8,443]

Gotta play fabregas with Matic.

Playing fabregas in the 10 and playing ramirez over Oscar makes no sense to me when we can comfortably get both in especially due to Matic being an absolute tank.

[DYC. 7,542]

Hazard is the best no.10 in the team. He is just a very good winger as well but I reckon he could be as effective in the centre if not more. Like Sheva said, Willian's better performances came in the centre. I think he is better there than out wide and I think we are more of an attacking threat when he plays in the centre. But like Skipper said it is a season where I hope he steps up because there is a lot of competition and many fans want Schurrle starting now with his improved performances.

Mourinho doesn't seem to agree. He never played him there. There were more players who you'd think would perform in the middle but didn't. Ronaldinho is the prime example for me. He was never as good in the middle as he was on the sides (in a free role).

Cristiano Ronaldo is a player who has everything you could want in a striker and more but he's poor in the middle.

Hazard will only be the best #10 in the team when he actually performs playing in the middle. Until then, it's all speculation. Who knows, Mourinho might play him there next season. I know I'd like to see how it works.

[Styles 9,790]

He's gonna be destroyed there against any good team, but that's why we have Ramires and co for those games.

Yep, thankfully we have a manager who knows as much and won't dare try that pivot against anybody good.

Against the lesser sides though, i don't see why he can't play there the same way Lampard did.

Even against the lesser sides I'm wary. Lampard was a much better defender than Fabregas so could play there.

My prediction is Fabregas is going to be the Mata of the CM: undoubted quality on the ball but too slow and defensively weak. He'll need two CMs behind him. I believe that Matic + Ramires will be the pivot; I still haven't forgotten Mourinho's comments earlier in the summer.

[Barbara 15,149]

Fabregas for me.

If Mourinho sticks to the 4-2-3-1 the way I see it is: Willian/Salah - Fabregas/Oscar - Hazard/Schurrle.

The 'Fabregas in the pivot' idea won't last very long in my opinion.

Fabregas is so much better from the deep. I don't see a point of 'wasting' him in a position we have 3 other decent options instead of deep where no one else in the team can offer what he does. And again, he's better in the #8 imo, so it's win-win

[Bacika 188]

I have feeling he will be benched a lot this season..his form was really last couple.of months of the last season, and he we might start playing with two strikers which I would really like...

[Sheva. 5,373]

Not necessarily. You have the playmakers like Riquelme, Rui Costa, goal-scorers like Kaka or hybrids like Bergkamp, Totti, Del Piero. Real 10's don't really exist anymore if you look around. It's more about dynamic midfielders with all-round abilities. And coaches find it more and more important for them to contribute defensively.

Willian doesn't do it for me in the middle. Mourinho talked about how Cesc's mind works a lot faster than most players, Willian doesn't have that at all. He's not fit for the role imo. And I remember Mourinho saying Willian is a player for the sides so he thinks the same.

But if you look around at other teams who play with a player behind the striker - from James to Ozil to Mata to Silva to Iniesta to Coutinho to Eriksen to Sneijder - these are all creative players. All with different qualities of course, but they create, simple.

This is not something i can say about Oscar, he's like a CM playing out of position further up the pitch. So i definitely do not agree about him being our "best #10"

You're probably right about Willian, but he's a bit more dynamic in his play. I just have a problem when he's RW and always stays in the middle.

[Styles 9,790]

Fabregas is so much better from the deep. I don't see a point of 'wasting' him in a position we have 3 other decent options instead of deep where no one else in the team can offer what he does. And again, he's better in the #8 imo, so it's win-win

Starting to believe with the players available that 4-3-3 is the way to go. Fabregas would be the more attacking midfielder and would have the protection of Matic/Ramires/Mikel/MVG etc.

[DYC. 7,542]

Fabregas is so much better from the deep. I don't see a point of 'wasting' him in a position we have 3 other decent options instead of deep where no one else in the team can offer what he does. And again, he's better in the #8 imo, so it's win-win

Agree, I have always said this. For me, the 'lack' of defensive stability if he's played next to Matic is greatly exaggerated. You don't need two defensive rocks in front of the defence. Especially with guys like Oscar and Willian/Schurrle with their high work-rate in front of them. And this notion of Fabregas not being able to defend is nonsense.

But we'll see how it goes when the season starts.

[Daniel1980 1,425]

Gotta play fabregas with Matic.

Playing fabregas in the 10 and playing ramirez over Oscar makes no sense to me when we can comfortably get both in especially due to Matic being an absolute tank.

Pretty sure he will play both. Notice how Jose deflected the question in Sky sports interview: "Do you see him as a deep midfielder or someone to play further forward?" He answers that he sees him as someone who thinks football faster than other footballers and that he has everything, etc.

Fabregas is so much better from the deep. I don't see a point of 'wasting' him in a position we have 3 other decent options instead of deep where no one else in the team can offer what he does. And again, he's better in the #8 imo, so it's win-win

I think we shouldn't judge Cesc based on the two pre-season games he played so far. He's very effective as #10 too, more effective than he showed in the last game. His decision-making in the final third is great and his finishing is one of the best in the team. We must keep in mind that he just began training and is still only gaining form. He's not match fit yet. So I'm not sure what the best position for him is. Perhaps Jose isn't sure either.

[Namika 922]

If Willian play RW and stay in the middle, it's simply because José asks him to do so. He gives more control in the middle, most teams plays 4-3-3 nowadays so all of our midfielders are marked by someone but when Willian comes central and his fullback doesn't follow him, we have a 4v3 in midfield and that gives us an advantage. All managers have a way to give their midfield an advantage, for example, Pep asks his fullback to come in centrally and his 9 to drop back,...

[DYC. 7,542]

But if you look around at other teams who play with a player behind the striker - from James to Ozil to Mata to Silva to Iniesta to Coutinho to Eriksen to Sneijder - these are all creative players. All with different qualities of course, but they create, simple.

This is not something i can say about Oscar, he's like a CM playing out of position further up the pitch. So i definitely do not agree about him being our "best #10"

You're probably right about Willian, but he's a bit more dynamic in his play. I just have a problem when he's RW and always stays in the middle.

True. But Silva plays on the sides, so does Eriksen and Iniesta is a CM. And Oscar does create, let's not go too far. Considering he doesn't take set-pieces, he creates a decent amount of chances. He needs to do better of course.

And Oscar is the best #10 in the squad. He's the only #10 in the squad haha. I understand what you're saying about his skill-set but he is a 10. Whether he's good enough or not is another discussion.