Chelsea FC had a horrid year, but Willian had his best individual season. Does the winger have even more to offer as the Blues seek a return to prominence?
Willian came to Chelsea FC in the summer of 2013 for about £30 million. Barcelona nabbed Neymar that same summer but it was widely thought that Willian was more prepared for the ruggedness of Premier League football anyway. Or at least that’s what we told ourselves since Neymar was always going to wear blaugrana or join Los Blancos. Still, it didn’t take long for our Brazilian to reveal a skillset Premier League managers covet.
Willian’s willing nature and natural gifts of speed and stamina make him the ever rare byline-to-byline midfielder. These talents make him a part of nearly every counter attack as well as a serviceable breaker-upperer (?) of opposition attacks (if by no tactical means, by being in the way). It’s a truly rare combination, and most managers are gratefully satisfied to have it. But that contentment hasn’t done much for Willian’s development.
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Willian is still worryingly loose in possession, making it hard to rely on him as a viable alternative for attacks. He often misreads shifting defenders and rolls the ball directly into the opposition’s feet. He also lacks the ability to consistently get by players one-on-one, which is as confounding as a peregrine falcon stalking prey using an upside down newspaper and Groucho glasses.
Willian’s most potent weapon—a first step quick enough to splice atoms—loses all its dynamism when he waits to use it until the ball has suffocated the blades of grass beneath it. Defenders, then, are given time to prepare a response while teammates try to feign a telepathic connection with an angled run, a decoy run, or by staying onside and just waiting.
Not surprisingly, each decision has an equally low success rate. As a result, attacks stall as Willian is crowded out or misread premonitions result in a goal kick, and blades of grass weep for family members sacrificed for naught.
It’s still difficult to tell whether Willian is thinking too much or not enough. I lean toward too much for the simple reason that, for as quick as he is, he rarely hits a volley. This is a weird thing to pay attention to but stay with me. Being first to a looping ball requires either instincts or tactical awareness. Willian is quick enough to sneak in front of or beyond a player even if he’s not fully tactically aware. He’s played enough football to guess right at least a couple times a year.
That he almost never does suggests a player too concerned with other things, skewing the equation of risk/reward toward reluctance. Plus, of all the midfielders, he knows he’s the one who will have to burst a lung should a blocked or missed shot start an opponent’s counter.
Willian’s aforementioned doddling on the ball is evidence of the same. Tasking a brilliant attacking player with maintaining a defensive headstart shall things go awry is how you neuter a player capable of perfectly executed elasticos.
However, with this season’s barrage of free-kick goals, Willian has shown an ability to add to his game on his own. Though his free-kick offensive tailed off in the second half, the improved technique helped him whip in more dangerous corners and crosses—his six Premier League assists are his best ever tally.
And the confidence derived from an improved striking technique has led to more goals in open play as well. As a result he’s scored some absolute screamers like these:
More that please.
The good news is that Willian has added to his game in manners in which he could personally control. The bad news is that he hasn’t been molded into, and unleashed as, a tactically aware player. With his speed, dribbling skill, and ability to embed jetpacks into the ball with his feet, Willian still has untapped potential.
When Chelsea are at their most dominant they have a midfielder capable of 15-20 goals. Everyone expects Eden Hazard to be that player, but with Willian’s abilities, a more tactically aware version could be the one to approach that figure instead.
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Though Willian’s natural skillset is enough to make him a reliable piece of any top flight starting eleven, there’s an even more uniquely talented footballer in there. Given that he’s willing enough to take his improvement into his own hands, the right manager could develop Willian into one of Chelsea and Brazil’s best ever wingers.