A Progress Report on the Early-Season Form of Chelsea's Oscar

Look at Chelsea's Premier League position and it's clear the vibe at Stamford Bridge is in a positive state of flux right now.

Things are changing for the better.

Jose Mourinho's side are eight points clear of reigning champions Manchester City. They remain unbeaten in all competitions since late April and talk of an "invincible" season—albeit from the outside—is beginning to creep in.

Hopes of silverware and dominance are somewhat premature, yet it's coming on the back of Chelsea's phenomenal start to the campaign.

It's been impacted by Diego's Costa's goals, the assists of Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard's wizardry and the return of Oscar.

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

The Brazilian is no longer missing. Since the World Cup, he's been found and returned to Stamford Bridge.

"Oscar was our best player," Jose Mourinho said after the recent 2-1 victory over QPR. He continued:

"

Not for the goal, but for [his dynamism] and for the intensity and the transition when the team recovered the ball.

He was always sharp and fast. When the team lost the ball he was always sharp to recover positions or to press the ball. I think he was fantastic.

He's playing very well. Obviously, pre-season it was difficult for him after the World Cup, but it's coming, [his form] is coming up. He's giving a lot of balance to the team, lots of creativity and obviously the goal [against QPR] is only possible by a very talented boy.

"

Indeed, Oscar's strike, with the outside of his boot to evade the desperate dive of Rob Green in goal, was magical.

It was reminiscent of a time when Chelsea's 23-year-old was being heralded as the player Mourinho would build his new team around.

Last season, such were Oscar's displays, it meant the influential Juan Mata became surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge and within months was being sold for big money to Manchester United.

Mourinho delighted in his work ethic, Oscar demonstrating an equal enthusiasm to work as tirelessly in defence as he does in attack.

Slight of frame and not a particularly physical presence, Oscar deceives opponents. There isn't much meat on his bones, but there is a big heart pushing him forward, which is complemented by a wise brain.

He was playing with both last term and Mourinho was purring.

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

"Oscar is fantastic—it doesn't matter where, in the middle, on the sides; he works hard, he recovers balls and he presses high and gives a difficult time to the opponents and when he has the ball he's able to assist and able to score," he enthused in November 2013, per FourFourTwo.

Just a few months later, however, things were changing; Oscar's form dropped significantly ahead of the World Cup.

Come the end of the campaign, the manager's mood was far removed from the earlier weeks of the season as he reflected on where things had gone wrong.

"He arrived in the crucial moment of the season in a low," Mourinho said of Oscar, per Sky Sports, adding that he suspected featuring for Brazil at the World Cup in his homeland was always at the back of the player's mind.

"I can imagine, in a couple of weeks, he will be in a high and during the World Cup he will be in a high."

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

Mourinho's thoughts raised doubts as to Oscar's character and his place in this Chelsea team.

Would the Blues boss look to move him on? Could he trust him to perform again? Did he even want him?

This season has given us those answers: Oscar has been back to his exhilarating best.

The execution for his goal against QPR was the tangible evidence we needed to confirm it, serving as a reminder of Oscar's brilliance.

The stats support the theory.

Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images

Other than Nemanja Matic, no midfielder has made more tackles for Chelsea this term than Oscar, outlining his influence in the high-pressing game Mourinho has deployed.

Chelsea are hunting teams down like never before, smothering them in the pursuit of snatching possession, and it's Oscar who is the leading the way.

The Blues are playing the game in their opponents' halves, forcing them on the back foot and controlling games as a result.

Oscar is allowing Hazard the freedom to commit himself forward, and create the panic where Diego Costa has thrived, scoring 10 goals in the Premier League.

Offensively, the Brazilian is doing his bit too, averaging just shy of three shots per game and making more than one key pass.

His energy has returned, and if Chelsea are to maintain their relentless form, it's Oscar who will be at the middle of it all.

There's more to achieve—much more. The player knows that, and after his post-Christmas dip in 2013/14, so too does his manager.

For now, though, Oscar is back. He resembles the player Chelsea thought they were signing in 2012 and the club is looking set for a return to the days when silverware was often forthcoming at Stamford Bridge.

*Stats via WhoScored.com

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes obtained first-hand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes