PETR CECH and Mikel John Obi have hailed the talents of Oscar after the Brazilian marked his Champions League debut for Chelsea – Wednesday’s 2-2 draw with Juventus – with two goals, the second of which was a sensational curling, bending strike on the turn. Cech even went as far as to suggest the 21-year-old, who was signed for €25m from Brazilian club Internacional in July, has already proved to be “good value”.
“He plays great football, a simple one or two touches, and he’s always available,” said Cech. “He has a pretty big price tag on him for a young guy and that’s an extra pressure. So it’s been great for him that we see this performance, and two goals will give him a lot of confidence. People will realise he is good value.”
The draw at Stamford Bridge was Oscar’s first start for Chelsea after he had featured as a substitute on three previous occasions for the club, and his impact was such observers are suggesting he has the potential to emulate his fellow Brazilian playmaker Kaka.
“Only time will tell [if he can be as good as Kaka] but he’s on a very good way,” Cech added.
For the goal that put Chelsea 2-0 up against the Serie A champions, Ashley Cole played the ball into Oscar’s path just outside the penalty area and, having spun away from Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Pirlo in one movement, he instantly bent the ball over Gianluigi Buffon and into the top corner of the net. The quality of that strike may have come as a surprise to some but, according to Mikel, Oscar’s team-mates have been aware of his capabilities for some time. “We have seen him in training smash balls in like that,” said the midfielder. “The English game is not easy. It is very difficult to come in and adapt to it but we have seen what he can do and hopefully he can keep going. He can only get better.”
Oscar’s display was the highlight of an otherwise frustrating night for Chelsea as they marked their first match as European champions by throwing away an early lead. Cech admitted such lapses were a concern but aggressively disputed the notion Chelsea’s collapse was down to a desire by the team to prove their Champions League credentials, having been deemed by some as lucky winners of last year’s competition.
He said: “We don’t need to prove anything – you have to play 13 games to win the Champions League and you might be lucky in only one or two of them.”
