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Willian has enjoyed a fruitful spell as a Chelsea player. Since joining the club in the summer of 2013, the Brazilian international has attained four major honours with Chelsea, and he amassed 249 appearances for the club.

The winger is typically regarded as a hard-working and dependable figure, that retains customary Brazilian flair. Despite playing in his sixth season with the Blues, and even though the club rejected alleged interest from Barcelona during the summer, there’s a looming sense that the 30-year-old has failed to fulfil his potential with the West London side.

Objectively, the winger has enjoyed a productive career at the club, and he was by far one of their best performers during the woeful title-defence in the 2015/16 campaign. Nonetheless, there’s been a sense among some sections of the Chelsea faithful, that the former Shakhtar star could have improved upon his attacking involvement.

Willian – who has been capped 64 times by his country – had only managed to score eight goals in his first 91 games for the club, and while that tally has increased notably in the succeeding 158 appearances for the Blues, he has contributed 38 goals, one could argue that his total is insufficient for a player that flaunts such quality.

Currently, the winger is averaging a ratio of less than a goal every five games, and while he did amass a career-high tally of 13 goals in all competitions last season, Willian has yet to exceed eight league goals during a season for the Blues.

This isn’t to discredit his contributions, nor to portray the Brazilian as an ineffective player, it merely highlights that Chelsea, particularly this current side, require more from such an experienced member of the squad.

The Blues’ current dependence – a topic that Willian has spoken publicly about – is almost unparalleled, and when you consider that Morata and Giroud have a combined total of three goals this season, the need for a variety of scorers cannot be sufficiently stressed.

Plausibly, Chelsea rejected a substantial sum to retain the services of Willian, money that could have been reinvested in a more youthful and prolific winger. It’s high time that the Brazilian vindicates his club’s decision and illustrates his ability to impact the course of games.

Throughout his career in England the Brazilian has demonstrated his ability to score spectacular goals, and on his day, he is unplayable – as was so memorably displayed against Barcelona last season. Much to the dismay of Chelsea supporters, that day doesn’t arrive often enough.

One of the most frustrating aspects is that Willian’s quality is evident, and if his Chelsea career was in its infancy, you could perhaps forgive a lack of ruthlessness and a clinical streak in the final third. Willian is now in his sixth season with the club, and there comes a time where supporters and club alike require more than aesthetically pleasing skills and a peerless work ethic.

They need ruthlessness, the ability to impact purposefully when called upon, to lead by example as opposed to waiting for others to take the initiative; this is the role that Willian must assume.

Given his age, it’s fair to assume that the Brazilian has reached the pinnacle of his abilities. Resultantly, it’s essential for his future career prospects, and for the ambitions of a transitional Chelsea side, that Willian can continually demonstrate his creative influence by scoring goals.

Sarri’s highly technical system places a great onus on attacking players. This focus is brought into sharper focus when Giroud is deployed, as his involvement is primarily centred on Chelsea’s build-up play and providing the team with an attacking outlet. Just imagine the situation Chelsea could find themselves in if the constant harassment that Hazard receives results in a severe injury?

Without question, the Belgian international is an extraordinarily gifted player, one of the best in world football, but he cannot be solely responsible for the Blues’ attacking output. Others must begin to assume responsibility, and Willian should be leading the way.

What are your thoughts? Let us know!

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