Chelsea: Lessons learned about CHO, the No. 10 and Jorginho vs. Newcastle

2. Willian deserves the No. 10 shirt

Botched header aside, Willian hardly put a foot wrong against Newcastle. While he may not always produce the ideal end product when he gets into the box, Chelsea’s new No. 10 has proven his value in several other ways.

One aspect of his game that has developed into something of a signature move is his ability to pick the ball up in the defensive third and sprint up the middle of the pitch, bypassing the opponent’s midfield in a matter of seconds. In the bogged-down quagmire of Sarriball, that was a fairly useless skill. Under Lampard, who wants to play quickly and directly, it’s crucial for creating chances in transition.

In many ways, Willian is beginning to show some of the traits that made Eden Hazard so central to everything Chelsea did on the pitch.

At his best, Eden Hazard was absolutely impossible to take the ball off of, and it seemed like he could earn fouls at will. When Chelsea were under pressure or struggling to create anything, the game plan always devolved into just getting the ball to Hazard and letting him take care of things. While he goes about it in a much different way, Willian is showing the ability to perform those same functions.

Without a doubt, Chelsea are far more varied and unpredictable in attack than in years past, but there’s still plenty of value in having a player who can serve as a type of release valve.

In its most basic sense, that’s the point of a team’s No. 10: to serve as the safety blanket that teammates can look for when things get stressful.

Just look at the final seconds of Saturday’s match. Who’s playing keep-away over on the left touchline? It’s Willian, nominally Chelsea’s right winger.

Much like Hazard, he shows up wherever he’s needed, and he can provide a sense of security and stability that has been hard to come by for Chelsea so far this season.

Protecting a slim lead in the final minutes takes composure and veteran know-how. In Chelsea’s exceptionally young and somewhat naïve squad, Willian is the player who is providing those intangibles.