Chelsea go into the international break looking down on the rest of a quaking Premier League and already carrying the unmistakable stamp of champions-in-waiting.
A home win against Arsenal may not be as big a marker as it once was in a title race, and it was not as spectacular as last year’s 6-0 rout. But it was ominous nonetheless.
Yet it was arguably not just the predictable flashes of brilliance from Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa that pointed the way and most highlighted the quantum leap from last season – it was a man with his mind switched firmly back to the task in hand.
Jose Mourinho’s willingness to express his exasperation with Eden Hazard has been well documented, but in the second half of last season he had good cause to bemoan the contribution of another of his attacking midfielders, Oscar.
The Chelsea boss had his own very plausible theory about why the Brazil star faded to grey as the season unfolded. It was the approach of the World Cup in the player’s homeland and the magnitude of the event that awaited.
It is difficult to fully appreciate just how big a deal a World Cup in your own country is for any player. But for a Brazilian, the significance is ramped up 10-fold.
For Oscar, it was the approach of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and with each passing week, he was undoubtedly being reminded of the weight of expectation and history back in the land of the Jogo Bonito.
The eyes of all those Brazilian greats looking down on him from the stands and from the heavens, demanding that he help deliver another gold star on the most famous international football shirt in the world. How could this mounting anticipation not affect such a young player?
When Oscar announced his arrival with a spectacular strike (and a double) in a 2-2 draw with Juventus two years ago, it was assumed Chelsea would be getting a classic number 10 with a vision only for the possibilities in front of him. He would be the creative catalyst for a new era of beguiling attacking football at the Bridge. A role clearly defined.
But as Juan Mata found to his cost, there is no such thing as luxury number 10 in Mourinho’s world.
When he first tasted Champions League success with Porto in 2004, Mourinho’s team was set up with the same philosophy, with his playmaker Deco detailed to track back as if his life depended on it.
Mata’s failure to be as good at the muck-and-nettles side of the game saw him offloaded to Manchester United by a manager uncompromising in his belief in how you win trophies.
For Deco – the Porto version of Deco at least – read Oscar.
The Brazilian may have been one of the key figures detailed to unlock the Arsenal defence, but no-one was more effective at making a nuisance of himself in his own half.
He dogged the Gunners constantly with his desire to get back and protect his defenders. Time and again he got in a block or a telling tackle – earning a booking for his troubles.
In the end, he was the perfect complement to Nemanja Matic, and his prodigious work-rate gave Fabregas the licence to roam further forward into dangerous pockets. Fabregas knew his back was covered.
If Arsenal looked feeble in their attempts to create worthwhile chances, it was down to Oscar’s tracking back in no small part.
He played as if a heavy burden has been lifted from his shoulders and in a sense it has, now the World Cup obsession is over. And he has clearly bought in to the Mourinho ethic.
The Portuguese has always asked his players whether they want to just go out and have fun, or want to be winners.
Oscar, no doubt remembering a flea or two in his ear from the boss last season, when he became listless and no longer an automatic starter, has given an unequivocal answer.
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This post was last modified on 07/10/2014