360 Verdict: Marko Marin

360 Verdict: Marko Marin

Chelsea's first signing for this season was Marko Marin. Marin is a German international who primarily plays as a winger or an attacking midfielder. Chelsea bought Marin from the German side Werder Bremen this season for a reported £6.5 million.

The signing of Marko Marin was criticized by some as he was injured for most of last season. He only started in 18 games for Bremen last season and was brought in as a substitute in 5. Also, he scored just 1 goal and was the provider of 5 assists in these games. These statistics are certainly not impressive at face value. 

 Being just 5'7 and with a fairly smallish build, Marin is not a physically imposing player. His lack of size shows up his two great weaknesses- his poor tackling and ineffective aerial presence. Despite some of his weaknesses though, Marin does have some very important strengths. Anyone who has seen him play would notice that his main skill is his speed. The speed at which Marin covers ground both with and without the ball is simply astounding. Also, his ball maneuvering speed is absolutely fantastic. He also has excellent balance and a willingness and ability to cover a lot of ground during a match. The speed at which Marin moves with the ball makes it very difficult for players to tackle him. Defenders are often left flat on their backs because of the speed at which he changes direction while moving with the ball. 

His second most prominent skill is his dribbling ability. He has the ability to beat defenders one on one and that was certainly something that Chelsea were lacking this season. Another attribute of his is his vision and his passing ability. Marin can both see his team mates making runs and deliver the passes to them. But sometimes he puts too much pressure on himself to make the highlight pass instead of just moving the ball quickly. This however, is a correctable habit and with proper guidance, will not be much of a problem. His speed and his dribbling skills both make him a very difficult player to mark. These skills have also gotten him the tag of being a "German Messi"

The last season was a tough one for Marin, but outside of that, he is known to be an excellent finisher. He can shoot from outside the box and can do so with either of his feet. Defensively speaking, Marin is not much of an asset because of his poor tackling but can still create havoc with his ability to read passing lanes and intercepting the oppositions passes. 

Positionally speaking, Marin is a very versatile player. He can play on both the wings but is better suited to a role which allows him the freedom to drift around the field. As a player who has a tight control on the ball and can beat defenders with his dribbling skills, Marin would make a good winger. But for him to be a regular in that position, he would largely need to improve his defensive skills as he does not do much right now to support the fullbacks. However if played in the centre midfield, Marin could be very dangerous. His excellent first touch and speed would make it difficult for defenders to stop him from finding space. Even his defensive problems could be reduced this way as his ability to cut out passes would be best utilized in this area of the pitch. 

Before Ozil moved to Real Madrid from Werder Bremen, Marin and Ozil were known to create problems for defences in the Bundesliga. However, after the departure of Ozil, Marin was left with no one to coordinate attacks with and his form dropped.

This, however, should not be a worry for Chelsea as there are plenty of players here with whom Marin can link up and terrorize defences. Marin looks like a very promising player and has the potential to be one of Chelsea’s best players next season.

Initially however, Marin is most likely to be used as an impact substitute for attack or in the midfield. But we can certainly expect Marin to gradually take on a larger role. The presence of Marin would also allow Juan Mata the occasional breather which will be a necessity next season considering how much Mata has played during the last 10 months. At just 23 years old, Marin has age on his side and could improve significantly. A player possessing the skills that Marko Marin does, Chelsea have certainly gotten a bargain. 

In a recent interview, Marin said that he knew that he would have to struggle for a place in the starting XI but believed that he could do it. Lets hope that he carries the same confidence and converts it into performances next year.

Till then KTBFFH!

 

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