Willian

[Reddish-Blue 2,347]

I certainly dont point out Willian is suddenly world class winger or sth, but its clear as day that Mourinho is sole reason why Willian, salah, schurrle, cuadrado show so little in our time, creativity wise.

His instructions are killing our attack and no one can prove it otherway. He kills the spirit in players and forces them to concentrate on what Rb does instead of what Rw does. Or they will get benched.

Hazard is one that Mou gives alot of freedom, and he excells at that. If other attackers would have it, our attack would be much more fluid.

I think too many sessions go for tactical defending and positioning instead of trying some attacking actions.

But thats not it. Our attackers have to cover up for defenders shit they make and it costs us alot. Mourinho has to work more on defense and offense for next season IMO.

Thats why its kinda pointless to keep signing right wingers because everyone will be instructed the same and it will kill all the creativity in them. I guess even if we bought Messi, Mourinho would told him to play as secondary RB, him or hazard.

Unless we play Azpi at RB next season, it won't matter how much Mourinho works on the defense...he'll just let Ivanovic do anything he wants on the right wing and force Willian/Cuadrado to cover him

Hopefully those rumors of PSG, Bayern Munich being interested in Ivanovic are true....

[Sheva. 5,373]

How about that then? In a game in which Willian didn't have to play as auxiliary RB and defer to Ivan (or in this case Danilo) on every occasion, he was able to produce a great performance against a side of real quality. People can argue that Willian's problems in attack are 'nothing' to do with Mourinho's tactics/instructions and everything to do with the player's own deficiencies, but the way in which he has been playing (and producing) for Brazil under Dunga provides a strong argument to the contrary as the sample size begins to grow larger.

I watched the whole game and didn't notice much difference from his performances at Chelsea. With the exception of not defending every minute, for which i applaud Dunga's system and selection.

Back to Willian; even the 2nd goal he assisted was a 'normal' Willian pass, in which he ignores runners through the middle on the counter and slides the ball wide to Hazard.

[DYC. 7,542]

I watched the whole game and didn't notice much difference from his performances at Chelsea. With the exception of not defending every minute, for which i applaud Dunga's system and selection.

Back to Willian; even the 2nd goal he assisted was a 'normal' Willian pass, in which he ignores runners through the middle on the counter and slides the ball wide to Hazard.

I agree. This was pretty much regular Willian. Very quiet in the first half, became more involved in the 2nd, though not enough to actually say he greatly influenced the game. Neymar showed his class scoring from that position after the Willian pass. Gustavo was completely unmarked to head in Willian's corner.

Danilo didn't need Willian to shadow him though. That set up on the right flank with Willian and Ivanovic is so bizarre.

[Gilvorak 3,734]

In what world was he great? He was easily the worst of all the Brazilians, good assist for Neymar's goal but it was a standard pass and Neymar made it look much better than it actually was. Then he assisted from a corner and suddenly it's a great performance. It was a standard Willian game

He was non-existent in general play and left Oscar/Luis to do all the work in building up.

[Sir Mikel OBE 4,920]

In what world was he great? He was easily the worst of all the Brazilians, good assist for Neymar's goal but it was a standard pass and Neymar made it look much better than it actually was. Then he assisted from a corner and suddenly it's a great performance. It was a standard Willian game

He was non-existent in general play and left Oscar/Luis to do all the work in building up.

A standard willian game where he almost equaled his total assists for the league in one match?

Not standard at all.

[Oscar 441]

Difference Danilo vs Ivan.

[Miguelito 459]

I'm not sure if it is because it's fashionable to bash Jose for everything right now or if people just love to jump to conclusions for no reason, but this is a bit much.

People talking about how Mou is holding Willian back, look how great he is for Brazil, he got two assists, etc. I didn't even watch this game and I can tell you, that's just too much.

Yes, Willian may be held a little by Mou's tactics and how much he has to cover ivanovic, but come on. Do you really think he tells Willian to kick every single corner short? Do you really think he instructs Willian to stay stationary with the ball every time he gets it and let everyone in front of him make runs and then just pass it to the side? Do you really think he tells Willian to stop in front of defenders and then do his little shimmy and cut the ball with the outside of his foot? Do you think he tells him to take too long with every decision he makes?

I don't think so, Jose might be holding Willian a little bit (I for one think he would be much better in the middle), but Willian's main problem is himself and his decisions.

(this is not aimed at anyone in particular and isn't meant to offensive or rude)

[WNDS 502]

I watched the whole game and didn't notice much difference from his performances at Chelsea. With the exception of not defending every minute, for which i applaud Dunga's system and selection.

Back to Willian; even the 2nd goal he assisted was a 'normal' Willian pass, in which he ignores runners through the middle on the counter and slides the ball wide to Hazard.

I agree. This was pretty much regular Willian. Very quiet in the first half, became more involved in the 2nd, though not enough to actually say he greatly influenced the game. Neymar showed his class scoring from that position after the Willian pass. Gustavo was completely unmarked to head in Willian's corner.

Danilo didn't need Willian to shadow him though. That set up on the right flank with Willian and Ivanovic is so bizarre.

Willian's overall performance last night might well have been a 'standard' 7/10 display, but he embellished it quite drastically with TWO assists despite still playing on the right of midfield (as ever, not his best position). I though the main issue most people have with Willian is his lack of productivity when playing for us?! He's been consistently productive for Brazil when playing under Dunga, with 5 direct goal-involvements (2 goals/3 assists) in 7 games. That would certainly appear to suggest that he CAN produce more for us, EVEN WHEN he is playing on the right. Do you think that Willian possibly having the potential to go from his current 4 goals/6-7 assists per season to (say) 7 goals/12-13 assists per season whilst still offering some measure of defensive solidity on the right flank is something to be so dismissive of? I sure as hell don't; it could make all the difference to our attack, particularly if we are successful in further strengthening the team in the summer.

In what world was he great? He was easily the worst of all the Brazilians, good assist for Neymar's goal but it was a standard pass and Neymar made it look much better than it actually was. Then he assisted from a corner and suddenly it's a great performance. It was a standard Willian game

He was non-existent in general play and left Oscar/Luis to do all the work in building up.

'Easily the worst of all the Brazilians'; opinions, opinions, but there are some that are just totally wrong, and this is one of them. Neymar (despite his very well-taken goal, he lost the ball very often, took too many touches, and slowed Brazil's attacking play down too much) and Miranda (had a few shaky moments in defence) were both noticeably 'worse' than Willian in this game. Indeed, the only outfielders that were noticeably better than Willian were Luiz Gustavo, Thiago Silva, and (maybe) Filipe Luis.

[DYC. 7,542]

Willian's overall performance last night might well have been a 'standard' 7/10 display, but he embellished it quite drastically with TWO assists despite still playing on the right of midfield (as ever, not his best position). I though the main issue most people have with Willian is his lack of productivity when playing for us?! He's been consistently productive for Brazil when playing under Dunga, with 5 direct goal-involvements (2 goals/3 assists) in 7 games. That would certainly appear to suggest that he CAN produce more for us, EVEN WHEN he is playing on the right. Do you think that Willian possibly having the potential to go from his current 4 goals/6-7 assists per season to (say) 7 goals/12-13 assists per season whilst still offering some measure of defensive solidity on the right flank is something to be so dismissive of? I sure as hell don't; it could make all the difference to our attack, particularly if we are successful in further strengthening the team in the summer.

I don't think we should be comparing international friendly matches to competitive club football though. International matches are of a lower level and if you take away the competitive edge (friendly instead of tournament), it becomes very hard to rate the true class of a player's performance. Brazil looked like a force coming into the World Cup, demolishing teams left, right and centre. That completely changed from the very first match they played at the World Cup.

What I found worrying in Willian's case was his inability to displace the underperforming Hulk (understatement). Though you could argue favouritism and politics playing a role in that.

And seriously, where is this defensive solidity I keep hearing about? Chelsea's right flank is incredibly vulnerable. I don't blame Willian for this, I really don't, but I think people mistake work rate for effective defending when it comes to Willian. Someone like Arda Turan actually offers defensive solidity. That's not his fault, I can see that he does the best he can.

I agree that Willian's productivity would increase if he didn't have to track backso much, but not to a level that would be enough imo. Maybe that's why Mourinho doesn't give him more freedom? I really don't know. Players like Willian, Navas, A. Young etc. are useful for a top side (squad options) but just don't offer enough imo.

[LAB 1,030]

I don't think we should be comparing international friendly matches to competitive club football though. International matches are of a lower level and if you take away the competitive edge (friendly instead of tournament), it becomes very hard to rate the true class of a player's performance. Brazil looked like a force coming into the World Cup, demolishing teams left, right and centre. That completely changed from the very first match they played at the World Cup.

What I found worrying in Willian's case was his inability to displace the underperforming Hulk (understatement). Though you could argue favouritism and politics playing a role in that.

And seriously, where is this defensive solidity I keep hearing about? Chelsea's right flank is incredibly vulnerable. I don't blame Willian for this, I really don't, but I think people mistake work rate for effective defending when it comes to Willian. Someone like Arda Turan actually offers defensive solidity. That's not his fault, I can see that he does the best he can.

I agree that Willian's productivity would increase if he didn't have to track backso much, but not to a level that would be enough imo. Maybe that's why Mourinho doesn't give him more freedom? I really don't know. Players like Willian, Navas, A. Young etc. are useful for a top side (squad options) but just don't offer enough imo.

Good post.

We just need to accept that Willian will never be the equivalent of Hazard in the right wing. He is great for certain stuff and a useful player to have and possibly a starter. I don't care as long as it works, and if we're going to win the PL with him playing regularly then so be it. Just look at the examples provided above (Navas, A. Young) from other teams and be satisfied with what we have in comparison.

Now if come Summer we go for a real starting 11 player for that position we need someone like Bale but that's another discussion.

[nadavTKL 1,787]

What I found worrying in Willian's case was his inability to displace the underperforming Hulk (understatement). Though you could argue favouritism and politics playing a role in that.

Clearly you're not following... since Dunga replaced Scolari Willian started in 7 of 8 games. Hulk wasnt even invited for those games.

[DYC. 7,542]

Clearly you're not following... since Dunga replaced Scolari Willian started in 7 of 8 games. Hulk wasnt even invited for those games.

Clearly you need to go to the optometrist. I was talking about the World Cup.

(Dont you hate it when that happens )

[Milan 17,854]

After Aaron Lennon probably the most predictable player. Nothing surprising comes from his boots or decisions. And why he kept taking our set pieces and corners is beyond me.

[MrBlueGuy 1,552]

Most underrated and underappricated player at Chelsea atm. His contribution defensively is immense and offensively he has been improving a lot in these last few weeks too. Not to mention his pace is a vital asset and he is never injured.

Atm if Cuadrado is 23m then this guy is worth at least 30-35m min. Can't believe people are comparing this guy to Oscar, who is a far worse player despite being more naturally talented.

[Sir Mikel OBE 4,920]

Most underrated and underappricated player at Chelsea atm. His contribution defensively is immense and offensively he has been improving a lot in these last few weeks too. Not to mention his pace is a vital asset and he is never injured.

Atm if Cuadrado is 23m then this guy is worth at least 30-35m min. Can't believe people are comparing this guy to Oscar, who is a far worse player despite being more naturally talented.

Spot on. We don't win this match if not for his work rate.

[Laugh1ngMan 393]

Very impressed with him today. That first time pass to Hazard in the first half was sexy as hell and i want to see stuff like that from him more. Deserves to start the next match as number 10

[Eidur the Spider 4,515]

Amazing performance today. I'm usually his harshest critic so he proved me wrong tonight. Great work ethic and drive. Should be playing through the middle, Oscar offers nothing.

[Sheva. 5,373]

His best game in forever.