No.10 Role

[Waterfall 893]

Fair enough. But what about the remaining games where we don't play on the counter? Oscar not even up to half of Mata when it comes to creativity, and breaking down a parked bus.

I do think that Mata's a much better option in that case at least at this stage of Oscar's career. Oscar however has bigger potential IMO.

[OneMoSalah 8,886]

I am very very confused with Mourinho's quotes and what looks like his opinion on Juan Mata.

He has insisted Chelsea will play differently, a more possession based game where our creative players create chances and score goals, like we've been trying to implement for the last few years. So why doesn't he play the best player in our squad in a position where he scored 15 goals, got nearly 20 assists and constantly created chances for his teammates, in comparison to Oscar who scored 10 or 11 goals, got under 10 assists and didn't really create as much as Juan did?

Its pretty obvious Oscar is rated highly by Mourinho due to his defensive capabilities as well as his offensive ones (which are inferior to Mata's may I add), we have more balance when Oscar plays in the #10 role but what does he do offensively that Mata doesn't? Not much but in all fairness to Oscar, hes always looking to get on the ball, make himself available, help the double pivot/center backs out when they are under pressure by making himself an option. His defensive skills are better obviously, we all know that but still in a Mourinho team a few years ago I remember he played Wesley Sneidjer every game for more or less 2 seasons despite his poor defensive contribution.

Mourinho's refusal to play Mata often on the wing or as the number 10 obviously isn't because of his lack of offensive contribution as he is our joint best offensive player with Eden. I get the defensive contribution is probably one of Mata's fault but Mourinho built his Inter Milan side around Sneidjer who is a very good #10, who did fuck all in terms of defense - as Spike Spiegel pointed out to me in his thread when we were linked with him after Mou returned. Sure he had players like Cambiasso and Motta in the team with him, who are combative players who did a lot of tackling and intercepting etc but we have Ramires and Mikel who can do the same jobs to compensate for Mata's lack of defensive work rate. Even at Madrid, Jose had Ozil who was a lazy player and Ronaldo who did next to nothing in terms of defensive work but he played two aggressive players who could compensate for that in Khedira and Alonso.

There is clearly something else going on with Mata and Mourinho. Oscar still has offensive work to do, he's probably been one of our better players but certainly not our best player this season. We look toothless at the moment, our strikers cannot score and our attacking midfielders are creating next to nothing, so something has to give, either Jose drops Oscar for Juan and loses a bit of stability in the team or Oscar starts opening teams up in the way Mata has done for us for the last 2 years.

Mourinho has confused me in general at times. We have lacked any sort of proper style this season. He confused me loaning out Moses and replacing him with another #10 in Willian (even though he looked pretty good on his debut, he's just another #10 that can play on the wing - which isn't his even best position, why are we paying 30m for a #10 just to play him on the wing?!?!?!), in games against teams that will sit in against us and crowd out the midfield we are going to be fucked, we lack any sort of proper winger who will hug the touchline and stretch teams. He was our best option to take on with 20 or 30 minutes to go and stretch teams in my eyes. Willian, De Bruyne or Schurrle won't do the same as it isn't their natural game. We lack variation, as Ballack said the other night we had too many similar players in our team, they were all running into the same spaces, sort of restricting our play.

P.S. I can't see us selling Mata, Emenalo is obviously a big fan of his, so I doubt he'll be sold as Emenalo has quite the influence these days.

[Jase 43,479]

Another clear thing is that Mourinho clearly says he won't play Oscar in the pivot when he compares the situation of both Oscar and Ramires closing down opponents on each side while Mata plays behind the striker with freedom to do his magic vs Oscar playing #10 and it fitting the system he has in mind.

Something tells me that was a sly dig at Benitez and RDM to play that kind of lineup. And in fact, the former did that against Benfica in the EL final.

[Sheva. 5,373]

I do think that Mata's a much better option in that case at least at this stage of Oscar's career. Oscar however has bigger potential IMO.

No offence, but fuck potential. Mata is not an old man, he's 'only' 25 and can still be on top of his game for another 4-5 seasons.

So will Oscar be better than Mata in that time frame when the latter is entering his prime? i think not.

[Sir Mikel OBE 4,920]

I actually think Mata would be better suited as a striker in a 4-4-2 formation. He is the more creative option, but as the total player in the 10 role I see Oscar as the better option.

[Zinedine Iniesco 172]

Ryan, from previous posts i thought you had a good understanding of what Mourinho was all about, in what world was is he ever going to make a more possession based team?

You all also have to realize that Mourinho tends to lie, never take anything he says to face value, or what most people say for that matter. There has to be critical thinking involved. Judging from his attitude history, his history as a manager, his history as a tactician, many could see Juan Mata's departure as a very possible possibility before the season even started.

http://www.zonalmarking.net/2013/09/17/new-managers-mourinho-at-chelsea/

The Conclusion is that the man is not going to build much of anything in chelsea.

Mourinho likes his teams set up a certain way, his midfield atm @ chelsea has no comparison to what he had in his cl winning inter and pl winning chelsea.

Juan Mata is as good as gone imo.

Look at those teams lol. He had Drogba, Milito, Eto'o all during their best times as players.

Lampard, Essien, Makalele, Carvalho, Terry lol

Pandev, Sneijder, Cambiasso, Motta,

That Zonal Marking is so spot on when it says that his mourinho job is more about implementing his old ideas. He is not going to adjust towards his players and change his way of playing, he is going to try to get his players to always play what he has in mind.

Thats what he did in Madrid and he failed, time to see how it goes at chelsea, but he isnt winning a cl with that defense or midfield imo.

[OneMoSalah 8,886]

Ryan, from previous posts i thought you had a good understanding of what Mourinho was all about, in what world was is he ever going to make a more possession based team?

You all also have to realize that Mourinho tends to lie, never take anything he says to face value, or what most people say for that matter. There has to be critical thinking involved. Judging from his attitude history, his history as a manager, his history as a tactician, many could see Juan Mata's departure as a very possible possibility before the season even started.

http://www.zonalmarking.net/2013/09/17/new-managers-mourinho-at-chelsea/

The Conclusion is that the man is not going to build much of anything in chelsea.

Mourinho likes his teams set up a certain way, his midfield atm @ chelsea has no comparison to what he had in his cl winning inter and pl winning chelsea.

Juan Mata is as good as gone imo.

Yes but he keeps mentioning we aren't winning games due to 'the change in style' and other stuff, if he's so intent on blaming our losses on this changing in style you'd think players like Mata would be playing every game from the start as he can create something from nothing, he is the creative force in our team, I get what he wants from his #10 defensively but he has the ask himself does Oscar create enough chances offensively? He simply doesn't. He links better with the pivot, always makes himself available to the ball which means the team has more options in possession but he still lacks that bit of magic.

[Zinedine Iniesco 172]

He doesnt want to bother with players he doesnt like. He wants his team to start going towards HIS direction.

Same thing happened in Madrid.

Sergio Canales and Nuri Sahin are two prime examples.

Everything else he might say is more likely than not, horse crap.

He said the same thing when Barca scored 5 against Madrid. His excuse was that Madrid was still a young team. It takes a lot of fail to set up a team for failure like he did in that match.

Mourinho excuses.

[Barbara 15,149]

I think the question is so much deeper than who's the best #10. As if that was any question to start with.

The real question is who's the best working #10 for us as a team, as a unit, results wise, competitiveness wise. That's the question I don't have an answer to because obviously Mata is the best #10. But is a pure #10 what works better for us now?

[Heisenberg 1,824]

Both at the same time.

Lets get it staright, Oscar love José, José loves Oscar, Oscar is good at this position, Mata wont have a chance if Oscar's level is still that good.Mata for me, should be the N°10 if we play more of a 4411.If we continue with this way, than Oscar will stay as the starter, and Juan will play on both wings, ultimately, I think Mourinho will replace Lampard with Oscar and Juan will be the N10 again, question of time only.Injuries will come, and I sure Juan will play a big role this season.

[Styles 9,790]

Against the very good teams and in the big/important games I want Oscar in the team playing in his best position. What that means for Mata I don't know.

I saw Oscar playing wide last season and it's not something I want to see ever again. It's an absolute waste of his talent, Mourinho is right; I don't want to watch Oscar tracking fullbacks.

[OneMoSalah 8,886]

Mourinho basically pinning blame of the Basel defeat on Mata's substitution is dirty as fuck in my eyes too, saying he had duties to do, if he had duties to do (I'm guessing defensive duties) why stick him on when its only 1-0 if you want him to do defensive duties... Jose picks Lampard more or less every week and he does fuck all defensively... we lose a lot of balance with Lampard and Mata in the same team but if you say put Ramires with Mikel with Mata we aren't as bad then in terms of balance. You build around your best players, so you should be prepared to find solutions to combat their weaknesses.

[Sir Mikel OBE 4,920]

Oscar's my No 10, Mata must get used to it! Mourinho's Chelsea revamp plans will not be derailed by successive losses as he reveals Brazilian is his first-choice

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2427361/Jose-Mourinho-tells-Mata-Oscar-choice-No-10-Chelsea.html

Wow are the quotes in that article true?

[OneMoSalah 8,886]

Against the very good teams and in the big/important games I want Oscar in the team playing in his best position. What that means for Mata I don't know.

I saw Oscar playing wide last season and it's not something I want to see ever again. It's an absolute waste of his talent, Mourinho is right; I don't want to watch Oscar tracking fullbacks.

Do you want to watch Mata tracking fullbacks? No of course you don't! Oscars work rate and defensive skills are better suited to playing on the wing than Mata's imo. He does more in that sense. Rafa seen this, played Oscar on the right, sure his offensive contribution sucked but Mata playing in the middle, his offensive contribution made up for it. Remember that 3-1 game under AVB at Old Trafford? Nani and Rafael were basically 2 v 1 on Cole every time as Mata was LW. Its difficult, hopefully Mourinho will rotate both though so they get a fair share of games each in that central position.

[Rubber bullets 1,183]

Wow are the quotes in that article true?

If they weren't then he could technically sue them. So I think they are.