When Eden Hazard and Oscar joined Chelsea in the summer of 2012, both new signings required owner Roman Abramovich to write out a hefty cheque for their services—£32 million and £20 million, respectively. Eight months later, it is perhaps time to ask which player has performed more impressively, and which has provided the greater value for the money.
In terms of the Premier League alone, the answer on both counts has to be Hazard.
Stats don’t tell the whole story, of course, but the young Belgian is well ahead of his Brazilian teammate in all the numbers that count. Hazard has started more games (25 to Oscar’s 17), scored more goals (eight to Oscar’s one) and had more assists (eight to Oscar’s four). Statistically speaking, Hazard has clearly been a more effective performer in the league than his fellow midfielder.
Perhaps that isn’t a surprise. Hazard, who signed for Chelsea from French side Lille, had the advantage of previous playing experience in Europe. Oscar had a bigger footballing cultural gap to bridge after spending his formative years in Brazil with Sao Paulo and Internacional.
Possibly as a result, Hazard has adapted better to the rigorous demands of the Premier League. His dribbling skills, creativity and eye for goal were all evident in his early matches for Chelsea, but he could appear a touch lightweight when confronted by bigger, more physical opponents.
In recent weeks, though, Hazard seems to have become significantly stronger, and consequently much harder to knock off the ball. His form over the past month has been simply dazzling, with sensational strikes against Sparta Prague, Manchester United and West Ham making him one of the most talked-about Premier League players of the moment.
Like Hazard, Oscar has struggled to impose himself in certain games, and at times has not really appeared a "natural fit" for the Premier League. Despite his undoubted skills on the ball, his skinny frame has put him at a distinct disadvantage when he comes up against muscular powerhouses like Yaya Toure or Mohamed Diame.
He has also suffered from being shoved out to the wing by interim manager Rafa Benitez. He's far more effective in a central position, either in the middle of a trio of attacking midfielders or as a deep-lying playmaker alongside a more defensive-minded pivot.
Judged on their Premier League performances alone, you might conclude that Hazard has been a genuine success, whereas Oscar has been slightly disappointing.
Yet, if we turn the spotlight on Chelsea’s European adventures this season, a very different picture emerges.
Again, stats are a useful starting point in assessing the relative contributions of the pair. Taking the Champions League and Europa League together, Oscar has started eight games, scored six goals and made one assist. Hazard, meanwhile, has started seven games, scored one goal and made three assists.
The stats back up the widespread perception that Oscar’s best games for Chelsea have come in Europe. Notably, he enjoyed a fantastic home debut in the Champions League for the Blues against Juventus, scoring a memorable goal—his second of the night—with a blistering 20-yard shot on the turn. He was equally impressive against Shakhtar Donetsk, netting with a magnificent 45-yard drive over the Ukrainians’ goalkeeper at the Bridge and also scoring in the reverse fixture.
Perhaps the slightly less frenetic pace of the Champions League compared to the Premier League has suited the 21-year-old Brazilian, because he has certainly looked very much at home on the continental stage.
Hazard, on the other hand, has not quite caught the eye in the same way when the Blues have faced foreign opposition.
Indeed, some of his most forgettable performances for Chelsea have come in the Champions League and Europa League. He endured a miserable evening as a lone striker in Roberto Di Matteo’s last match in charge away to Juventus, and then was completely anonymous on an admittedly poor pitch during the Blues’ recent 1-0 defeat against Steaua Bucharest.
Taking the season as a whole, both Hazard and Oscar have provided Chelsea fans with some glorious moments, but both have also sometimes dipped well below their best form. If the pair can take a leaf from Juan Mata’s book and perform at a high level on a more consistent basis, then Blues supporters should be able to look forward to some very exciting times ahead.
However, let us not be too harsh. The first year in the Premier League is a learning curve for most overseas players, so both Oscar and Hazard will have gained enormously from the experience they have gathered during this season. They have, in any case, shown enough to be judged relative successes already.
Mainly because of his stupendous current form, however, Hazard just edges this battle of the diminutive Chelsea midfielders. I will mark him at 7.5/10 so far, and give Oscar 7/10.
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