Willian must grab the opportunity staring him in the face and become one of the bona-fide star players in Chelsea FC’s squad

It’s only been one competitive game into in the 2015/16 season for Chelsea FC, but there is a unfamiliar feeling that the team is struggling. However, in adversity, comes opportunity. Willian has been one of the few shining lights in the club’s performances (pre-season included) so far, and he needs to lead the way if the Blues are to have any success this year.

Willian joined Chelsea in 2013 for a fee reportedly around £32million. He technically moved to West London from Anzi Makhachkala but having only been in Russia for a matter of months, he effectively carried his baggage from his spell at Shakhtar Donetsk.

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His time in Ukraine was incredibly successful, as he won 4 Ukrainian League titles, 3 Ukrainian Cups, and a UEFA Cup (now Europa League) in just six seasons. He made 221 competitive appearances for the club, in the process netting 37 goals.

José Mourinho returned to Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2013, and Willian was one of his first big-money recruitments.

The Brazilian immediately became an integral part of the Stamford Bridge set-up, making 42 competitive appearances in his first season. He followed that with 49 last time out.

This season, meanwhile, as the team around him has been borderline shambolic, Willian has attacked with an unrestrained freedom. He has been willing to receive the ball in tight spaces, but more importantly has been eager to take on opposition players.

Eden Hazard and Diego Costa are the current stars in the team, but there is certainly room for Willian to join them as the faces of the franchise.

This is especially true given the sometimes volatile form of Hazard, and the ever-present injury concerns surrounding Costa. Chelsea currently have Nemanja Matic in the unsung Claude Makélélé hero role, but they really need someone who can provide a mix of goals and assists consistently throughout the season.

Oscar has been a player who has toyed with the idea of being the main man, but has repeatedly failed to keep up his performance levels throughout a whole campaign. Now, allow me to clear one thing up: I’m not knocking Oscar for that. He’s only 23 years old and with his ability, his time will undoubtedly come in the future.

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At this moment, though, the 27-year-old Willian is in the supposed prime of his career, and he must make it count if the Blues are to touch silverware this season. Jose Mourinho has made limited moves in the way of new acquisitions, and even if that is due to a lack of funding, it does not take away from the fact that this squad will need to perform at a level much above what they were at last time out.

Oscar and Cesc Fabregas began to fade after Christmas arrived, and Diego Costa fell foul of his hamstring on a more frequent basis. With a rather mercurial Hazard, there was no-one whom the Blues could count on to consistently be a bright spark when the club needed it most. Let’s not joke around here, Chelsea literally stumbled over the finish line and were only handed the title due to the extreme incompetence of their challengers.

If Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge of that Manchester United squad, there is no doubt in my mind that he would have capitalised when the Blues started to stutter.

With that, Willian has the opportunity to be that man, and he has the game and skill set that is necessary. He is strong and athletic going forward, and is comfortable on the ball like any Brazilian should be. He also fulfills Mourinho’s requirement of being willing to track back. While some might argue that this last trait wasn’t exactly on display against Swansea City at the weekend, he has exhibited it on numerous occasions before.

All the talk during the summer was about the likes of Oscar and Hazard truly joining the top echelons of world football. Instead, there is an opportunity for a slightly lower-profile Brazilian to breakaway from the peloton instead.