Willian

Willian
Image from: images/38d953658ca9316390b70f7a7f93f6b2.JPG

Willian Borges da Silva


Current Club: Chelsea.
Previous Clubs: Anzhi Makhachkala, Shakhtar Donetsk, Corinthians.
Loan Clubs: N/A.


International: Brazil 63 caps 8 goals.
Trophies Won: English Premier League 2014/15, 2016/17. FA Cup 2018. English League Cup 2015. Ukrainian League 2007/08, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13. Ukrainian Cup 2007/08, 2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13. Ukrainian Super Cup 2008/09, 2010/11. UEFA Cup 2008/09.


Willian, on the face of it, should be an incredible player, he works very hard, has excellent acceleration and lots of pace, superb technique, scores goals and has the ability to put in a top class dead ball, particularly shots from free kicks. The problem is that he is so inconsistent.

It is more than inconsistency really, he is more often than not way off his best. What he shows is how much of the game comes down to the mental side, as he has all the ability needed, physically and technically, to be world class, but shows the potential to be so just in short bursts. He will have a run of games where he is outstanding, then he will return to the normal headless chicken with no end product for the next 18 months or so.

One thing that comes across from both watching him, and is borne out by his stats, is that he does the simple things well, but struggles to provide end product. His crossing in particular is wayward, with little success (according to WyScout less than 4%!) in picking out a team-mate.

It is the same when it comes to passes that matter, ones that create opportunities, his success rate is poor. The sideways, no pressure, merely-to-keep possession passes are the easy ones, and those he does well. It is when he tries to play through balls, clever passes, those are the ones that go astray.

In other words, the easy stuff he can do, but the difficult stuff is too much for him. Willian does not lack the ability, he just snatches at things, is sloppy, makes silly errors. This despite him clearly being capable of doing the difficult stuff. At the age of 30 it might be too late for someone to figure out how to get his head sorted and get him to play to his potential.

{Editor's Note - on double checking the figures, as the stat for successful crosses seemed far too low, I realise that I was reading those that were actually assists, ie crosses that were scored from which is 3.8%. Crosses that found a team-mate were 36.8%, though that makes no distinction for overhit crosses that end up being picked up on the other flank by a team-mate etc.}


Requested by - Salah