360 Player Report – Hulk

Hulk made a surprise move from Porto to Zenit Saint Petersburg last year for a speculated massive fee of €40m (others also claim that Zenit bought him for even about €60m). Anyway, Chelsea were interested to sign Hulk too, in fact, we were very close to sign the powerhouse. This year, under Mourinho, reports claim that we will make another attempt to sign the 26-year old Brazilian. However, it will be difficult for Mourinho to lure him to Chelsea just after one year in Russia, and after Zenit paid a very high fee for him.

Position/Style of play

Hulk was mostly used on the right-, but also as a left-winger or striker in his career. He definitely is more effective on both wings than as striker due to his strong dribbling, speed and use of space at wider areas. He doesn’t have the height to win long balls up front nor be dangerous at corners or set-pieces, so I wouldn’t use him as an only striker up front. Hulk as a forward beside another taller striker would be a further option.
‘The Incredible Hulk’ is a typical winger with amazing dribbling skills and very good pace.  Hulk was also compared with Drogba because of his physique and strength. The Brazilian powerhouse has an incredible shot power, with the chance to score from anywhere outside the box, but he often also smashes the ball way over the bar. And although he has a lot of strength, Hulk tends to go down quite easily.
His style of play is very obvious. With a very strong left foot and a rather poor right foot, Hulk loves to cut inside from the right flank and tries to score whenever he can. He has a more goal-oriented role on the wings and it’s quite similar to the role Sturridge had under AVB, and that’s probably the reason why AVB started to want him at Chelsea.

Strengths

Physique
There is no doubt what stands out the most when you see Hulk play, or even if you only hear his name: power. With his strength, athleticism and speed, Hulk doesn’t need the help of others to create chances or retain the ball by himself.
Shot
Hulk has an exploding shot. His thunderbolt free kick versus Shaktar Donetsk from 35m in 2011 and his wonder goal versus Benfica (2012) with 108km/h are only two examples of his massive shot power (those are must-sees). He nearly can score from every position outside the box, and for the goalkeeper, it’s better not even try to save if Hulk got enough space to get a proper shot on goal.
Dribbling
His combination of strength, speed and dribbling skills makes him always a dangerous threat from the wing. He loves one-on-one situations, and he can cut-inside with ease, what fits perfectly with his style of play.

Weaknesses

Right foot
Hulk tries to avoid his weak right foot as often as he can. He just loves to cut inside from the right wing and then shoot with his left, but he rarely goes down the wings. If Hulk is used on the left wing, he changes his style and tries to cross from time to time. This disadvantage can make the game slower because Hulk always has to put the ball on his left foot before passing, crossing or shooting, and it’s very predictable for the defenders.
Decision-making
Hulk sometimes lay off the ball to other players in worse positions, while he clearly can score by himself, ending in losing the ball or missing a great chance to score. And at other times, Hulk shoots from a difficult situation when a simple pass to another player would be create a dangerous chance. Also at the build-up play, Hulk doesn’t always pick the best player to pass although he actually has a good vision and a decent long/short passing.

What his role at Chelsea would be

We still need a striker for next season. However, as I mentioned before, I wouldn’t use him as a striker, because he’s clearly stronger on the wings. We have one proper right-winger with Moses at the moment, and De Bruyne and Schürrle who can also be used on the right wing. Many think that Hulk wouldn’t suit the new Chelsea style, with creative players playing through the middle without high tempo, but with Mourinho, I think a little difference in style is good and harder to defend for the opponent. The quality and experience of Moses, KDB and Schürrle aren’t comparable to those of Hulk’s, and with the bonus as an overpriced signing, Hulk would likely to be a starter.

Conclusion

The start in Russia was anything but easy for Hulk. The fans didn’t like him and he had a hard time to adapt himself to the Russian football and climatic conditions. He’s getting better by time, but it wasn’t an impressive season for him.
Hulk is playing for Brazil at the Confederations Cup at the moment, so he won’t negotiate with other clubs until the tournament is finished. It will be difficult, even for Chelsea, to keep up with the other two clubs, PSG and AS Monaco, who are interested in signing Hulk too. Zenit paid a lot of money for the Brazilian, and he certainly won’t cost a lot less than what he did a year ago.
I hate to see it again and again, but Hulk is another one of those more than overpriced players nowadays, and there’re clubs (including Chelsea, unfortunately) that are ready to pay these incredible fees. Hulk can definitely bring us the missing strength in the attacking midfield, more directness towards goal and quality to our squad, but Chelsea should not pay more than £30m, even for ‘The Incredible Hulk’. In my opinion, he is just not worth more. And as always, saying a player is overpriced (and overrated) doesn’t automatically mean that he is a bad player, because Hulk is good player, just not worth what he costs, and there are better options with e.g. Erik Lamela.
What are your thoughts on Hulk? Would y0u sign a right-winger, and if yes, who? Leave your opinions in the comments! Jonny (@jonny9fan)