Coutinho v Oscar: How the Liverpool maestro has edged out in front of his Chelsea counterpart

Phillipe Coutinho of Liverpool in action against Manchester United

Destined to be forever competing against each other, Philippe Coutinho and Oscar come into direct competition once again this weekend, as Liverpool host Chelsea in a match that could be crucial to the Premier League title race.

With the diminutive Brazilians both in teams that occupy the top two places in the Premier League table, playing in similar attacking midfield positions, at similar ages and competing for places in the Brazil national squad for the upcoming World Cup, comparisons between the two are inevitable.

National coach Phil Scolari looks to have his preference for Chelsea midfielder Oscar, who can also play deeper, with Coutinho the recipient of just one international cap to Oscar’s 29, but can the Liverpool man make a late dash for the squad, and should it be at the expense of his opponent on Sunday?

Chelsea Top Scorers

Both men have enjoyed impressive starts to their second campaigns at their clubs and have been instrumental in the two team’s respective successes this season.

Overshadowed by Eden Hazard in recent months, Oscar has netted eight league goals for Chelsea this season and topped the club’s goal charts at the start of the season with five goals in the opening twelve games of the season.

A better finisher than his counterpart over the year as a whole, Oscar has a shot conversion rate of 16% compared to Coutinho’s lowly seven percent and has averaged 0.35 goals per 90 minutes played.

However Coutinho has impressed elsewhere, creating more chances than Oscar and averaging 2.38 per 90 minutes played to the Chelsea man’s 2.03. The success with which these chances have been put away, with over three times the number of assists per 90 minutes than Oscar, suggests that he has also been creating better chances than Oscar, although in fairness to the 22 year old Chelsea man Coutinho has been feeding the lethal duo of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, rather than Fernando Torres.

Traditional wisdom from comparisons between the two suggests that Coutinho is the better in terms of creation, but that Oscar is the go to man in terms of his all round game. Stronger than Coutinho and with a work ethic to match, Oscar has been seen as a more versatile option with Coutinho seen as more of a luxury player.

However Coutinho has done a lot of work to change that view this season, as has been required by Liverpool’s diamond formation. Playing on the right hand side of the narrow four in recent weeks, Coutinho has upped his game defensively. Oscar still pips him in the tackling department –just – but Liverpool’s relentless pressing has seen Coutinho make more interceptions than Oscar and he also has a better Squawka Performance Score.

Coutinho Tackles v Man City

The site of Coutinho dumping Samir Nasri into touch with a crunching tackle against Manchester City – one of seven made over the game – two weeks ago may not have been one that was expected when Coutinho arrived in the country, but it has become a more regular one as the season went on.

Coutinho Goal v Man City (via Fansided)

With Coutinho upping his defensive game and the margins between the two tight going forward, the pair are finely matched. However, while well matched over a season, Coutinho certainly has the upper hand in recent weeks and his current form suggests he is more likely to steal the show on Sunday than Oscar is.

Since the start of February, Coutinho has stepped up a gear with four assists and three goals, most memorably including the winner against City.

Only Luis Suarez has created more chances for Liverpool than Coutinho since 1/2/14

Only Luis Suarez has created more than Coutinho for Liverpool in recent weeks, with the Brazilian proving a crucial component of the side that has won 11 games on the spin.

Oscar Duels Since 1/2/14

Oscar, on the other hand, has quietened as the season has progressed, looking jaded over the winter period and struggling to reach the heights he promised with his early season performances.

Just 27% of his tackles since the start of February have been successful, while he has gone past his man just five times in that period and has not registered a single assist. A brace against the hapless Arsenal side offered a rare moment of respite, but at the moment Oscar looks to be a player in need of a holiday rather than a gruelling World Cup.

Oscar may be the man in possession of a place in the Brazil squad, but the form of Coutinho means he may have reason to be fearful should the pair keep up their respective levels of current form.