Chelsea Transfer News 2015: Where Would Juan Guillermo Cuadrado Fit In Blues' Lineup?
Undoubtedly, 2014 was the year of the Colombian. After the South American squad shocked the world with deep run in the World Cup, the world took heed of the wealth of talent on the big team. James Rodriguez took center stage for his undeniable heroics, but a number of other major Colombian superstars emerged. Goalie David Ospina got a chance to make his name at Arsenal and is finally reaping rewards after a strong show of patience. Carlos Bacca has had a strong performance in 2014-15 with Sevilla.
But the man who has yet to cash in on his World Cup fortunes is Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, arguably the most enigmatic and dangerous player on Colombia's national side. The 26-year-old loves to dribble and, when he is at his best, can unbalance opposing defenses. But that is a big "when." At other times, he is wasteful and frustrating to watch.
But that does not mean that people do not want to take a flyer on Cuadrado. As soon as the World Cup was finished, Barcelona was reportedly in the running to grab the winger and reinsert him as a right fullback in place of Dani Alves. That move never came to fruition, and now Barcelona will not be able to grab him.
One team that is reportedly interested in grabbing Cuadrado is Chelsea. But the word going around is Andre Schurrle is the odd man out, and he is usually on the bench for Jose Mourinho's side. If that is the case, then would Cuadrado be okay with sitting on the bench, albeit for the EPL's top team?
Moreover, what role would he play for the team?
Many believe he would likely play as a right full back for the Blues and compete with Cesar Azpilicueta or Branislav Ivanovic for the starting position.
Azpilicueta and Ivanovic are solid defenders, but they are most effective up the pitch, providing the Blues' offense with extra men to disorient opposing defenses. That is likely the role Cuadrado would be asked to play on a team that quite frankly is loaded up front on the wings.
However, why would Mourinho bring in Fiorentina's top scorer (four goals) to sit on the bench or play defense? As noted at the World Cup, Cuadrado is a solid dribbler who averages 2.5 dribbles per game; Chelsea's top dribbler is Eden Hazard with an average of 4.8 per game, but behind him Nemanja Matic is second with 1.5 per game. Cuadrado also averages 2.2 key passes per game, he would be third on Chelsea behind Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard. Defensively, he averages one interception per game, which would be fourth on Chelsea, and his 1.3 tackles per game would be eighth on the Blues.
But this ultimately does not answer the fundamental question: Where would Cuadrado fit in?
As it stands, Chelsea is a first place team with a dynamic offense and a solid defense. Cuadrado could play defense but he has a tendency to move forward and that could be a risky proposition for the team. Offensively, he could score or create more goals, but no one is complaining about that aspect of Chelsea's current game.
Would he displace up front? Hazard, Diego Costa, Oscar and Fabregas are going nowhere. Matic is the team's defensive midfielder and only Willian seems like a potential replacement on the pitch. Cuadrado's stats are overall stronger than Willian's when matched up against one another. Cuadrado has more goals and assists, averages more passes per game and connects more frequently than Willian does. They average an equal number of key passes per game, but Cuadrado holds an edge defensively. So this is the logical step.
Should Chelsea make a move for Juan Guillermo Cuadrado?