Juan Cuadrado had only four
starts in 12 appearances for Chelsea last season but has performed well in the
Copa America.
Last season was clearly an
extremely enjoyable time for the majority of the Chelsea FC squad. Two trophies
acquired with some magnificent football played meant that most have departed
for their summer holidays with a deep sense of satisfaction. But not everyone
will be feeling so smug...
Juan Cuadrado will be one player
who is left with a degree of frustration and a need to assert himself once the
squad reconvenes for preseason.
The Colombian joined the club
from Fiorentina in January for a fee of £23.3 million but failed to make any
real impact as the team trudged remorselessly toward the Premier League title.
Brought in to offset the departure of Andre Schurrle to Wolfsburg, Cuadrado saw
less game time than expected for an expensive signing as he struggled to
acclimatise to the pace and power of the English game.
The 27-year-old is perhaps the
only member of the squad about whom the supporters are collectively sceptical.
Having been largely on the periphery, he is nobody's favourite player yet, and
with many questioning the wisdom of bringing him to the club in the first
place, it leaves Cuadrado with a huge point to prove next season.
And yet there should be plenty of
hope that he can turn things around if he is given the chance to do so. His
fleeting displays last season might have been largely underwhelming, though he
cannot be held completely responsible for either his rustiness or his lack of
minutes.
As the season wore on, manager
Jose Mourinho became increasingly reluctant to tinker with his starting XI with
a core group of players entrusted to see the job through. The remainder of the
squad was left to fill in the gaps when required rather than realistically
compete for places, meaning that there was little time to make an impression.
For someone like Cuadrado, who was new to both the club and the footballing
culture, the inevitable struggle to adapt to new surroundings was exacerbated
by being used so sparingly.
Fellow wide men Schurrle and
Mohamed Salah had previously experienced a similar situation with both being
victims of Mourinho's distaste for rotation. Even though both were clearly
highly talented players, they lacked consistency and were not given the freedom
to find it in the hugely demanding world of Chelsea FC. When they were afforded
the opportunity to play, they tended to try too hard to impress and
subsequently fluffed their lines.
A similar scenario was played out
by Cuadrado during the second half of last season. The new arrival needed
playing time to adjust to life in the Premier League, but the team had no room
for passengers. But this restriction of opportunities also meant that when he
was needed to perform, he was not quite up to the required speed. He was
without any familiarity of the surroundings that would let him gel adequately
with his teammates.
Should Cuadrado be allowed the
time to adapt via the combination of a good preseason and minutes on the pitch,
then there is every reason to think he can be a success for Chelsea. The
evidence for this comes through his performances for the Colombia national
team, for whom he regularly excels.
Cuadrado's exploits at the 2014
FIFA World Cup in Brazil made it his breakthrough tournament in terms of
catching the global eye and exhibiting his ability to mix it favourably with
the best players in the world. His total of four assists as an exciting
Colombia side narrowly exited the competition to hosts Brazil in the
quarterfinals stands up to scrutiny even though he obviously benefited from
playing alongside a world-class talent in the shape of James Rodriguez.
Encouragingly, the form that he
showed in the World Cup is being mirrored 12 months later in the Copa America.
His team's 1-0 revenge win over Brazil on Wednesday night might have made the
headlines due to the postmatch brawl that saw Neymar sent off, but during the
90 minutes, Cuadrado's quality had shone through.
Decisive and commanding with the
ball at his feet, he was fearless as he ran at opponents. He dragged defenders
out of position and created space for his teammates to cause more problems. One
of those perpetually on the receiving end of his twists and turns was one of his
Chelsea teammates, Filipe Luis, who had to resort to fouling the winger on more
than one occasion as he endured a torrid evening.
The only slight criticism is that
Cuadrado probably should have scored after running half the length of the field
only to curl the ball just wide of goal with his left foot. Even so, he showed
other attributes that should serve him well in the Premier League, namely good
upper body strength and a willingness to compete physically. One memorable
moment saw him shunt Neymar off the ball before embarking on another direct run
that caused alarms in the Brazil defence.
Translating international form
onto the club stage is not always a smooth process, as Schurrle found out last
season, so a positive Copa America campaign does not guarantee a change in
fortunes at Chelsea. But a winger with searing pace and an ability to go both
ways is a threat on any team in any competition. If Cuadrado brings his
confidence with him and retains his physicality, he can prove his worth.
Now that compatriot Radamel
Falcao seems likely to be a Chelsea player during the forthcoming season, there
will also be a familiar face to help him settle. He will still face a stern
fight for a place in the starting XI, given the preeminence of Eden Hazard and
the industry of Willian, so he will need to really impress Mourinho if he is to
break into the side.
But with a new season in the
offing and the slate wiped clean, Cuadrado could well provide Chelsea with
another potent weapon for their armoury.
Written by:
Omoko Patrick
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