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The case of Oscar Rodriguez (a short thread)- Oscar, an attacking midfielder by trade who also has experience playing on either wing, was touted as 'the next big thing' after his brilliant 19/20 loan spell with Leganes. The Spaniard scored 9 goals (Leganes' top scorer) and
assisted 2 for Los Pepineros in a season that saw them get relegated, finishing 18th place with 36 points in La Liga. He's shoots often, ranking in the 94th percentile for shots taken/90, and scored his 9 goals from 4.6 xG. His creative numbers aren't bad either, as he averaged
3.2 shot-creating actions/90, 1.31 key passes/90, and 0.14 expected assists/90 with Leganes. Everything was looking up for Oscar when he was sold by his parent club Real Madrid to Sevilla for the hefty fee of €12.25M in the Summer of 2020. One would've expected Julen Lopetegui's
free-flowing system would've favored the Spaniard, as Oscar is a technically sound player who works hard both in defense and in attack. However, this has not been the case. Since the season began, Oscar has only played 260 minutes in La Liga, having started only 2 games.
He has received a bit more time in Sevilla's cup competitions, having played 183 and 231 minutes in the Champions League and Copa del Rey respectively, but these are still measly minutes for a player who was one of Sevilla's biggest signings of the transfer window. It's odd that
he hasn't played much, as he was never given too much of a chance early in the season, and he never played poorly during that time. He signed for Sevilla on August 29th, and only played 21 minutes in the entire month of September and 74 minutes in October (Oscar suffered no
injuries during this time). While I would be tempted to say that Oscar hasn't played much for Sevilla because Lopetegui doesn't use a traditional number 10 in his system, Sevilla signed Papu Gomez in January of 2021, an attacking midfielder/second striker who in theory plays a
very similar role that Oscar does. Lopetegui has used Gomez as an inverted left winger (mostly while Lucas Ocampos has been injured), where the Argentine has performed quite well. While Gomez is undoubtedly a better player (at the moment) than Oscar, it is questionable why Oscar
was never given a chance.
Here I looked at each of the 4 players (Gomez hasn't played enough time in La Liga to even have registered some stats yet) that are vying for the 2 central midfield positions in Lopetegui's 4-3-3. *Note: Oscar hasn't played enough to accurately judge his
Here I looked at each of the 4 players (Gomez hasn't played enough time in La Liga to even have registered some stats yet) that are vying for the 2 central midfield positions in Lopetegui's 4-3-3. *Note: Oscar hasn't played enough to accurately judge his
performances, this is just to add a bit of perspective. As you can see, Oscar's numbers are similar to the other three (with a major drop in pass completion), we just don't know if he could main the consistency in his performances that they have.
I came into this having watched almost all of Sevilla's matches this season and having scoured through data, hoping that I'd find some area that would prove why Oscar hasn't gotten much playing time this season. In the end, I couldn't find much, so I've come up with 2 reasons why
I believe he isn't playing under Lopetegui
1) Lopetegui considers Rakitic and Jordan undroppable due to the consistency and experience that they bring to the team
2) Oscar wasn't a signing that Lopetegui wanted (maybe the board signed him), and Lopetegui has no interest in giving
1) Lopetegui considers Rakitic and Jordan undroppable due to the consistency and experience that they bring to the team
2) Oscar wasn't a signing that Lopetegui wanted (maybe the board signed him), and Lopetegui has no interest in giving
him time. I'm leaning more towards the first theory.
On a quick note, I wanted to share my opinions: I think Oscar should leave in the coming Summer transfer window (and have should have left on loan in the winter window once Gomez was signed). Two destinations that I that I like for him are Granada, as he would fit perfectly as
Fede Vico competition in the attacking midfield role in their 4-2-3-1 (and he could potentially play European football), and Eibar if he wants a challenge. I think he could become Eibar's star player, slotting right into the left wing position that Bryan Gil will be leaving after
this season. As a neutral fan I just want to see him do well, and I want to watch the entertaining player who lit up La Liga last season once again.
So, why do you guys think that Oscar isn't playing much? I'm disappointed that I didn't find anything definitive (it's tough to find when he's played so little), so I'd love to hear anyone else's theories!
Likes, retweets, and feedback are much appreciated!
Data via @fbref
Likes, retweets, and feedback are much appreciated!
Data via @fbref
