Don't Be Fooled by the Stats, Oscar Still Has More to Do at Chelsea

It's that time of year again.

Christmas has been and gone, we're well into January—Oscar should be out of form and coasting to the summer.

Shouldn't he?

Read the stats and it's not the case. On Saturday he not only scored Chelsea's opener against Newcastle United, but he got the assist for Diego Costa to finish the game off as Chelsea won 2-0.

That assist was his seventh of the current campaign, too, making Oscar the second-highest assist maker at the club, behind Cesc Fabregas.

Indeed, it's the same number for Oscar in the past two seasons combined in a Chelsea shirt.

Step away from number crunching for a moment and things don't look so rosy for the Brazilian, however.

Manipulate the stats and even John Obi Mikel can be made into a world beater. Look at performances and it paints a different picture.

Oscar's no different.

He was largely ineffective against Newcastle. That's perhaps a harsh statement considering he was heavily involved in both of his team's goals, but outside of them, he contributed little.

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

He was over hitting passes and was guilty of conceding possession in key areas at times.

Oscar has a lot more to do if he's to prove he can go the distance and last a full Premier League season.

Jose Mourinho seems wise to it, too.

Against Watford he recently hooked Oscar at half-time, along with Andre Schurrle. Both players had been poor that game, so much so Oscar was getting the hair-dryer treatment even before the first half was up.

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

Falling over injured in front of the dug out, his manager had soon picked him up and forced him back onto the pitch.

Whatever language he spoke in the process—Portuguese or English—Mourinho's message was clear: "Get back on the pitch and do your job."

Oscar hadn't been doing it.

Chelsea huffed and puffed against the Hornets that day, Oscar's display a big part of the frustration Mourinho felt.

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

When Willian and Diego Costa entered the fray, there was more energy and desire to win the game.

Those assist stats tell us one thing, but reality says another. Oscar is proving too inconsistent right now, a factor reflected in his recent appearances.

Mourinho tried to protect him over Christmas, leaving Oscar out for away trips to Stoke City and Southampton. It was the wise choice, yet it hasn't exactly had the desired effect. He still looks lethargic.

To be held in the same regard as Eden Hazard, he needs to impose himself more on games. At times that isn't a problem, either. Oscar presses high and breaks up plenty of attacks before they even begin.

Clive Rose/Getty Images

He scores goals and, as his stats show, helps create them as well.

As the season rolls on, that quality becomes less and less frequent.

The jury's out now we're into the second half of 2014/15 and whatever he does, Oscar needs to show plenty more over the coming weeks to truly convince.

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