Why Chelsea Will Not Benefit from the Arrival of Juan Cuadrado This Season

He's barely played 90 minutes in a Chelsea shirt, but there is a nagging concern that what we've seen thus far could be the best we get from Juan Cuadrado this season.

Making his home debut against Everton on Wednesday, the Colombian showed some promise with a few darting runs and neat bits of skill, yet his overall performance wasn't convincing.

Bryan Oviedo got the better of Cuadrado in the first half—so much so that at one stage, he had to switch wings with Eden Hazard to make more of an impact.

When he was replaced by Cesc Fabregas on 70 minutes, Chelsea got their dynamism back and looked more of a threat, eventually winning the game through Willian's exceptional strike.

Would Jose Mourinho's side have picked up all three points with Cuadrado on the pitch? It's debatable.

In some ways, it's to be expected. A new player arriving in January and being thrust into first-team action against teams scrapping for results is never going to be easy, and far bigger names than Cuadrado have taken time to adjust in the past.

We'd be hypercritical to suggest his first two performances are a precursor for the rest of his Chelsea career, but we can't expect too much from him between now and May.

After he made his Chelsea debut as a substitute against Aston Villa, Mourinho himself raised concerns about Cuadrado's ability to show us his best this season.

Clive Rose/Getty Images

"It's normal, step by step, to be integrated," the Chelsea boss said, per Goal.com. "He needs time. I know Italy, and I know the difference between Italy and England. His formation, his development, his experience—everything was in Italy.

"I wasn't expecting him to come on to the pitch against Aston Villa and destroy them. Stability, time, integration—I think we will see the best Cuadrado next year."

By that measure, we should expect to see more of the same from the Colombian.

Mourinho isn't going to rush him into being a consistent starter for Chelsea; Cuadrado's role is going to be as back-up to Willian and the other attacking midfielders.

His manager wants to build his confidence and allow him to adjust to the pace and physical challenge of the Premier League.

It will help Cuadrado in the long term, but right now, the stop-start nature of his role isn't going to help his form.

It's going to be much like that Everton game—brief moments of promise supported by periods when Cuadrado fades out of matches.

Indeed, with Willian in such fine form, Cuadrado is going to need to do something rather special to get ahead of the Brazilian.

With the arrival of Cuadrado, the spotlight has fallen on Chelsea's Brazilian perhaps more than usual.

Suddenly, we're seeing comments about how he has upped his game in recent weeks, but let's be honest here, Willian has been excellent all season.

Just ask Andre Schurrle.

There have been times when Willian's performance levels have dropped, yet on the whole, he has been consistently good, giving Chelsea their balance in midfield.

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

Schurrle started the season as Mourinho's first choice on the right, and within six months, he was sold.

The arrival of Cuadrado had plenty to do with that, but let's not ignore how the form of Willian was just as pivotal.

Mourinho allowed Schurrle to leave Chelsea when he did because Willian usurped him, making that right-midfield spot his own.

Now it's down to Cuadrado to take it from him, but Willian is showing that's going to be one tough job.

The arrival of any new player is exciting for fans, and Cuadrado has enough about him to understand why Chelsea supporters are feeling enthused.

The jury's still out, though, and we're going to have to wait until next season for a proper verdict to be delivered.

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